Sweepstakes Includes ‘Free Donuts for a Year’ and Facebook Donation Campaign

The first Friday in June is traditionally marked as National Donut Day, as first celebrated by The Salvation Army in Chicago in 1938 to help raise needed funds during the Great Depression and commemorate the work of the “donut lassies” who helped make the donut what it is today by feeding the tasty confection to American soldiers during World War I. The donuts became synonymous with The Salvation Army, as well as the American soldiers who were returning home with the nickname, “doughboys.”

This significant occasion established the donut as a long-standing symbol of the services The Salvation Army continues to provide. The partnership between Entenmann’s and The Salvation Army reinforces Entenmann’s as a brand synonymous with National Donut Day. In its continued support of The Salvation Army, through June 30, Entenmann’s Bakery will donate to the organization $1 for every person who “likes” the Entenmann’s Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/entenmanns), up to $30,000. Entenmann’s Bakery has donated a total of $70,000 to The Salvation Army through the first three years of the partnership and plans to hit the $100,000 mark through this year’s donation campaign.

In this the fourth year of the partnership and in celebration of the historical day, Entenmann’s will be rewarding lucky “fans” with ‘Free Donuts for a Year’ and additional prizes through the sweepstakes link on the Entenmann’s Facebook page. All entries must be received by 11:59: p.m. ET on June 30, 2014. Winners will be randomly selected from all submissions. Official Rules can be found at www.entenmanns.com.

 National Donut Day Fun Facts:

• National Donut Day commemorates the “donut lassies,” female Salvation Army volunteers who provided writing supplies, stamps, clothes-mending and home-cooked meals, and of course, donuts, for soldiers on the front lines.
• With limited resources, these treats were fried, only seven at a time. The Salvation Army’s Ensign Margaret Sheldon and Adjutant Helen Purviance cleverly thought of frying donuts in soldiers’ helmets.
• Approximately 250 Salvation Army volunteers provided assistance to American soldiers in France starting in 1917 during WWI.

For more information, please contact Rich Draeger at The Salvation Army at 655-1348 or 253-9909.