As if Mars Free Chocolate Fridays weren’t indulgent enough, now Krispy Kreme and Dunkin’ Donuts are among many donut shops giving away free doughnuts Friday to celebrate National Donut Day.

All participating donut bakeries will give customers a donut of choice for free on Friday to celebrate the holiday that was declared in 1938 by the Chicago branch of the Salvation Army. 

The original goal of the giveaway was to raise money for charity to commemorate World War I Salvation Army volunteers who baked donuts for the courageous soldiers.

When World War I soldiers endured 36 consecutive days of rain in August, 1917, the Salvation Army “lassies” baked comfort food and served 100 donuts the first day.  Soon, up to 500 hungry soldiers waiting on a tasty treat stood outside under the tents and 100 donuts quickly grew to 9,000 donuts being cooked during the rainy days.

The tent became the first 24-hour donut shop, according to the Salvation Army’s Web site.  The site also provides viewers with a list of participating stores around the country. 

If readers areunsure whether the donut shop near you is doing the giveaway, look for the National Donut Day poster that should be displayed at all the stores.

The Salvation Army will be ringing bells outside of Krispy Kreme during today’s giveaway raising money to build charities for children such as the Kids 2 Kamp program where kids are invited to camp for a day. 

National Donut Day is celebrated the first Friday of every June.

BakeMark is an international baking supply manufacturer that provides donut shops with supplies.  The company will be fronting the donut fundraiser and making a donation to the Salvation Army for every donut sold at participating bakeries during the June holiday.

While Krispy Kreme is giving away its doughnuts to all customers, Dunkin’ Donuts requires you to purchase a drink to go along with the free doughnut.

Executive Krispy Kreme Chef Ron Rupocinski encourages everyone to celebrate the holiday and “share the sweet joy of a free Krispy Kreme doughnut.”

“Krispy Kreme is making life just a little sweeter for everyone on National Donut Day,” Rupocinski said in a press release.