- Margaret Atwood, "The Blind Assassin"
Today is National Doughnut Day.
The tradition began in Chicago in 1938 to finance the Salvation Army's charitable efforts during the Great Depression and to honor the "doughnut girls" of World War I.
The Salvation Army became synonymous with doughnuts during World War I when they served the baked goods to American soldiers in France. Unable to procure the necessary ingredients for cakes or pies, the women's auxiliary at the Salvation Army canteens along the front lines improvised and came up with the doughnut. At one point, they served nearly 9,000 doughnuts a day, sometimes cooked in military steel helmets on a stove.
The ladies were soon dubbed "doughnut girls."
Today, donations on Doughnut Day help support the Salvation Army food pantries, and food programs for senior citizens and children.
- Little White Book, Diocese of Saginaw