Today is National Donut Day

Lek Falke is behind the counter at the Krispy Kreme off of Route 1 in Alexandria, ringing up a cup of coffee and a donut (a hot-off-the presses Original Glazed, their most popular) for one of her regular customers.

It's a quiet day, with just a few customers coming and going. She knows that on Friday, it might not be so quiet.

What's Friday? National Donut Day. It has its roots in the trenches of World War I, when war-weary soldiers would take a break by stopping by a "hut" a makeshift coffee shop, where "lassies" doled out coffee and donuts. In 1938, the Salvation Army in Chicago wanted to recognize those women's efforts and started National Donut Day, which falls on the first Friday in June each year.

Nowadays, National Donut Day efforts in some cities include fundraisers associated with the Salvation Army. Others simply recognize the doughy confection by handing out free donuts.

In any case the tradition continues Friday with area donut shops handing out free (or almost-free) donuts. At Krispy Kreme, you'll get a free donut, no questions asked; at Dunkin' Donuts, you must purchase a beverage (and at some Dunkin' Donuts, only specific beverages).

The closest Krispy Kreme to Annandale is located at 6332 Richmond Highway. It's open 24 hours a day and will begin serving one free donut per person at 12:01 a.m. on Friday. Customers can choose any donut, the manager said.

The first-ever Krispy Kreme was started by Vernon Rudolph on July 13, 1937 in Winston-Salem, N.C. He got a recipe for his donuts from a French chef in New Orleans and began selling them with coffee. Today the varieties are endless: Chocolate? Chocolate icing? Sprinkles? If you're a really big fan and want to get the latest news from the company, you can "friend" on Krispy Kreme on its Facebook page or follow them on Twitter.

If you'd prefer Dunkin' Donuts, you've got a few options depending on which direction you'd prefer to travel. The closest ones to Annandale are in Alexandria at 6451 Edsall Rd and in Springfield at 6800 Commerce St. There's also one in Falls Church and a few more in Fairfax and Springfield.

If you can't grab a donut before your morning commute, use the store locator to find the nearest Krispy Kreme or Dunkin' Donuts nearest you.

Another way to celebrate Donut Day: Text the word “DONUT” to 80888 to make a $10 donation to The Salvation Army.