National Donut Day to benefit the Salvation Army

LIHU‘E — Thursday is the last day to be able to take advantage of the National Donut Day special at Daylight Donuts.

Daylight Donuts is partnering with The Salvation Army, Kaua‘i to provide customers with a free donut while supplies last. A percentage of sales of additional donuts during National Donut Day, Friday will benefit the Salvation Army.

For customers who pre-order their donuts by 11 a.m. Thursday, they can receive a special offer of a dozen plain glazed donuts for $10 for pickup on National Donut Day. Additional details or for orders, call 245-7414. Daylight Donut hours for Friday are from 6 to 11 a.m.

National Donut Day observance is June 4 in Hawai‘i, making 104 years since “Donut Lassies” first began the tradition on the front lines during World War I.

“Most people don’t know that The Salvation Army’s Donut Lassies first began cooking and serving donuts to soldiers on the front lines of WWI in France in 1917,” said Major Jeff Martin, divisional commander for The Salvation Army Hawaiian and Pacific Islands Division. “We encourage Donut Day fans to share photos via social media using the hashtag #NationalDonutDay.”

The Salvation Army started National Donut Day as a way to raise funds and bring awareness to their social service programs. Donut Day is held the first Friday of June each year and commemorates “Donut Lassies,” female volunteers for The Salvation Army in WWI who provided writing supplies, stamps, clothes-mending, and home-cooked meals — including donuts! — to soldiers on the front lines. The Donut Lassies would fry donuts in the soldiers’ helmets on the front line, just seven donuts at a time.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a significant increase in requests for services with the nonprofit providing 1,154,200 meals in 2020 in Hawai‘i, an increase of 51 percent over the 595,447 meals provided in 2019.