Xenophon Strategies

Happy 72nd Birthday to Doughnuts!

Xenophon News

Krispy Kreme, Dunkin Donuts, Tim Hortons, Lamar’s, Winchell’s—do you see the connection yet? They’re all well-known doughnut chains.

Doughnuts are a staple in many American’s personal histories, but what do you really know about doughnuts? We can probably tell you a few things you didn’t know, including the fact that doughnuts were popularized in the U.S. by one of our clients, The Salvation Army. The Salvation Army celebrated the first National Doughnut Day in 1938 in Chicago as a way to honor Salvation Army “doughnut lassies” from World War I. The lassies were female Salvation Army volunteers who provided writing supplies, stamps, clothes-mending and home cooked food for soldiers. (Believe it or not, approximately 250 Salvation Army volunteers provided assistance to American soldiers in France during WWI starting in 1917!) Ensign Margaret Sheldon and Adjutant Helen Purviance came up with the idea of cooking doughnuts in helmets with oil to quickly cook food for American soldiers. The doughnuts became an instant hit that was brought back to America by returning “doughboys,” and also establishes the reason behind the non-traditional spelling.

CBS’s The Early Show highlighted The Salvation Army’s role in popularizing doughnuts during its show on June 1, just in time to celebrate National Doughnut Day on June 4.

Despite its close history with the doughnut, The Salvation Army’s mission goes beyond just doughnuts. Last year, nearly 30 million Americans received assistance from the Army's 3,600 officers, 63,000 employees, and 3.4 million volunteers. This includes nearly 70 million meals The Army provided to people in need. This does not even include the additional services The Salvation Army provides to survivors and emergency relief workers during disasters, such as a hurricanes or earthquakes. The Salvation Army is once again ready to provide these services in preparation for a potentially busy hurricane season.

To learn more about The Salvation Army and its services, visit The Army at www.salvationarmyusa.org. Or if you simply love doughnuts, don’t forget to "like" the organization that created them!

And as a bonus, check out The Salvation Army’s own doughnut recipe!

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