--- title: National Doughnut Day History: The Holiday's Roots in War description: National Doughnut Day dates back to World War I, and it honors a group of people who performed an important wartime service. canonical: https://time.com/3860708/national-doughnut-day-history/ author: Eliza Berman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-05T11:00:41.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:43:35.151Z og:title: The Surprising History Behind National Doughnut Day og:description: National Doughnut Day dates back to World War I, and it honors a group of people who performed an important wartime service. og:url: https://time.com/3860708/national-doughnut-day-history/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9dd81d67d623b84a/6987eff2e20a8743c9a89655/150515-donuts-1944-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2100 og:image:height: 1181 og:image:alt: Red Cross Doughnuts 1944 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Surprising History Behind National Doughnut Day twitter:description: National Doughnut Day dates back to World War I, and it honors a group of people who performed an important wartime service. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9dd81d67d623b84a/6987eff2e20a8743c9a89655/150515-donuts-1944-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Surprising History Behind National Doughnut Day > Sponsored content. 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An exclusive look inside the cronut inventor's new bakery, Dominique Ansel Kitchen, which will offer made-to-order pastries_  by [Eliza Berman](https://time.com/author/eliza-berman/)  ## Eliza Berman Berman is a senior editor at TIME. Jun 5, 2015 11:00 AM UTC  Red Cross Clubmobile Girl Katherine Spaatz serving doughnuts. Red Cross Clubmobile Girl Katherine Spaatz serving doughnuts.Bob Landry—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  by [Eliza Berman](https://time.com/author/eliza-berman/)  ## Eliza Berman Berman is a senior editor at TIME. Jun 5, 2015 11:00 AM UTC It’s hard not to be cynical about many national food days. They tend to be the brainchildren of people who benefit financially from the success of the food in question, not of those who simply love to eat it. National Pie Day, for example, was founded by the National Pie Council. National Peanut Butter Day, similarly, was the brainchild of the National Peanut Board. But here’s one that even the most jaded celebrant can get behind: National Doughnut Day. Its origins go back much further — to 1938, to be exact — and the day is as much about the people behind the food as it is about the ring of fried dough itself. During World War I, women volunteering for the Salvation Army made doughnuts for soldiers serving overseas as a way to boost morale. National Doughnut Day was launched in 1938 by the Chicago branch of the Salvation Army, in part as a way to raise funds for, and awareness of, the organization’s work in the community. But the spirit behind the day was the recognition of these women’s contribution to the war effort. The tradition begun by the Salvation Army’s dough girls or dough lassies, as they were sometimes called, was picked up again by the Red Cross during World War II, when LIFE dispatched a photographer to capture the women in action. The women Bob Landry photographed were posted in England, one of 72 similar outfits across the country. And the morale boost they brought was not only a result of the treats they offered. As LIFE wrote of the volunteers, “They are hand-picked for looks, education, personality and experience in recreational fields. They are hardy physically and have a sociable, friendly manner.” The soldiers featured in LIFE, stationed in England in 1944, would greet the women with “howls of delight,” their spirits successfully lifted to the point that the slogan “doughnuts will win the war!” became popular among them. Victory would come at a higher cost, of course, but doughnut lovers will be pleased to know that their favorite treat once served a nobler purpose. _Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter_ [_@lizabethronk_](https://twitter.com/LizabethRonk)_._ _Read next:_ [_8 Ways to Get Free Donuts on Friday_](http://time.com/money/3905476/free-donuts-national-donut-day/?iid=time%5Freadnext) [_Listen to the most important stories of the day._](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/autoplay/?xid=spl-fullbrief-article)  Red Cross Clubmobile Girl Katherine Spaatz serving doughnuts. Bob Landry—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Red Cross Clubmobile Girl Katherine Spaatz making doughnuts. Bob Landry—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Doughnut-making starts well before dawn. Here "Tatty" and "Dooly" take the last of a batch of 1,000 out of the machine. Bob Landry—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Red Cross Clubmobile Girl Katherine Spaatz making doughnuts. Bob Landry—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Tatty Spaatz emerges with rackful of sinkers. They are made in the kitchen of club mobile North Dakota, girls' operations base. Bob Landry—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Happy sergeant with doughnut and coffee grins, greets the girls, "Seen ya' comin' a mile away." Bob Landry—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Boys measure Mike's waist with steel tape, decide "She's a perfect 42, fellas!" They do much ribbing at girls' expense but compensate by mending lighters, washing cups, cleaning boots. Bob Landry—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Coffee chain gang trails from mess hall to club mobile. Brew for afternoon's rounds is made in kitchen of base girls are visiting. Eight urns hold 40 gal. of coffee. Bob Landry—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. First stop is Flying Fortress base dispersal area. Music blaring from loud-speakers of bus brings the men running. Two girls man the counter while two dispense the doughnuts outside. Bob Landry—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Servicemen enjoying doughnuts and coffee. Bob Landry—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Girls chat with driver, Fred Clark. Crew captain of North Dakota is Virginia Sherwood (far right). She orders food, keeps accounts, struggles with laundry problem. 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