Where To Get Free Doughnuts On National Donut Day In Austin Area

AUSTIN, TX — You may not know this, but today is a very holey day. June 1, 2018, is National Donut Day, and all over town you'll be able to snag a free donut to mark the occasion.

We'll get to that in a bit, but will first provide a bit of historical context. Local officials of the Salvation Army sent a box of Krispy Kreme donuts to the Austin Patch headquarters earlier this week (Shout-out to Jan Gunter; they were delicious), along with printed materials offering added food for thought.

National Donut Day was established by the Salvation Army in 1038 to honor the "Donut Lassies" who served the sweet treats to American soldiers on the front lines of World War I, according to a fact sheet. Those donut-bearing women volunteers are credited with having popularized the pastry in the U.S. when the troops returned home from war.

For the Salvation Army, the humble doughnut holds an esteemed place in their regard, serving as a symbol of the service and comfort the organization provides to more than 23 million people nationwide each year. In observing National Donut Day, Salvation Army Austin will host a "Do Good Donut Day" initiative, serving the "sugary symbol of hope" to veterans, first responders, Family Stores customers and the Salvation Army emergency shelter case managers.

Isn't that sweet? Both literally and figuratively?

The donut distribution will take place at various locations in Austin, Cedar Park and Round Rock along with the communities of Georgetown and Liberty Hills from 9 a.m. to noon on Friday, Salvation Army spokeswoman Gunter said.

And now, that tacitly promised list of local doughnut places that will be handing out free donuts today:

• Dunkin' Donuts: Customers can get a free classic donut of their choice (while supplies last) with the purchase of any beverage. You can choose among Boston Kreme, Glazed, Glazed Chocolate and Strawberry Frosted with Springkles. The offer is good all day. In a brilliant bit of marketing, the donut purveyor is cleverly unveiling two new doughnut varieties to their limited-edition summer menu — vanilla cake batter and chocolate cake batter.
• Gourdough's: An all-day party is planned at the Gourdough's Public House, 2700 S. Lamar Blvd. Gourdough's officials have chosen the day to unveil a special menu tailored for National Donut Day.
• Krispy Kreme: Drop by your nearest Krispy Kreme location to get any doughnut on the menu free of charge. No purchase necessary. (Thanks again, Jan!)
• Mercedes-Benz USA: Here's something a little different. The car maker is deploying a team to hand-deliver donuts in a high-performance Mercedes-AMG S 63 to participating Austin fans. The delivered treats are specially-designed donuts featuring the iconic Mercedes-Benz logo from local favorite Bougie’s Donuts & Coffee. MBUSA honors the day by creating its own donuts in the form of slick spins made at the Travis Expo Center to showcase on its brand channels on Friday. To be selected for donut delivery, participants in Austin should direct message the @MercedesBenzUSA handle on Instagram. Some of the loudest fans will be chosen to receive limited edition Bougie’s Donuts treats at their location while supplies last. In addition, MBUSA plans to feature the fans throughout the day who show the most excitement for this unofficial annual celebration of donuts – using the hashtag #MBDonutDay.

• Papa John's Pizza: Free donut holes will be thrown in with orders of pizza ordered on line. We mean "thrown in" strictly colloquially, as they will likely be gingerly inserted into the box, and lovingly so, no doubt. The day after National Donut Day, the pizza chain will launch a contest awarding the winner an eight-day, seven-night, all-expenses-paid trip for two to New Zealand’s Donut Island, which happens to be shaped like a doughnut. Any customer who orders the new Donut Holes online or via the Papa John’s app between June 2 and June 30 is eligible for this unique prize.
• Salvation Army: As alluded to earlier, the charitable organization will be partnering with Entenmann’s, to host a series of “Do Good Donut Day" parties, during which they will serve more than 10,000 doughnuts to 8,500 veterans across America.
• Shiply Do-Nuts: Get a free glazed donut with any purchase.
• Walmart: All stores nationwide are giving away complimentary whole glazed donuts to customers today. By the time it's all done with, the retailer estimates it will have given away 1.2 million doughnuts.

If you want to take part in the spirit of the day but eschew the sugar-heavy treats, you might want to consider the revolutionary new doughnuts offered by local company Elite Sweets. The culinary creations are focused on protein content rather than sugar for a more healthful alternative. Founded by University of Texas at Austin grads, Elite Sweets is offering a 10 percent off deal until June 4 for first-time orders. Use the promo code "donutday" when ordering from the Elite Sweets website.

Patch featured the fledgling company earlier this week. Check out the story below:

UT-Austin Entrepreneurs Create Healthy Donut Alternatives

Editor's note: Eagle-eyed readers may have noticed the interchangeable use of "donut" and "doughnut" in this story. It's an age-old debate as to which spelling is correct. The Official Dictionary Spelling of the word is "doughnut." But Grammarist reports that "donut" — a simplified Americanized spelling version — has been around since at least the late 19th century, catching on in earnest in the late 20th century.

Read more about this raging donut versus doughnut debate that has divided our nation in an interesting article by Time magazine accessed by clicking here.

Either way you spell it, they're delicious. So donut worry, be happy, and get on out there and get your donut/doughnut on! It's the very yeast you can do! Sorry, we've gone a little glazy! #NationalDonutDay.

NATIONAL DONUT DAY FUN FACTS

• The Salvation Army created the first donut day event in Chicago in 1938 as a fundraiser to help those in need during the Great Depression.
• Up to 9,000 donuts were served to the troops daily.
• The doughnut was, and continues to be, a symbol of comfort for Americans.

A RECIPE FROM THE FRONT LINES (courtesy Salvation Army)

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 5 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 tablespoon salt
• 1 3/4 cup milk
• 1 tub lard

Directions

• Combine all ingredients (except for lard) to make dough.
• Thoroughly kneed dough, roll smooth, and cut into rings that are less than 1/4-inch thick.
• Drop the rings into the lard, making sure the fat is hot enough to brown the donuts gradually. Turn the dnuts slowly several times.
• When browned, remove donuts and allow excess fat to drip off.
• Dust with powdered sugar. Let cool and enjoy!

>>> Top image courtesy of Elite Sweets