06/05/2026
National Donut Day made it into Lisle's newspaper in 1959. Mrs. Leon Anthony of Middleton Ave was the chair. The roots of Donut Day go back to World War I, when The Salvation Army's "Donut Lassies" served donuts to soldiers. Though the first Donut Day was a fundraiser in 1938. Mrs. Anthony was looking for volunteers to help fundraise.
Salvation Army WWI Donut Recipe
Yield: 4 doz. donuts
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 knead dough, roll smooth, and cut into rings that are less than 1/4 inch thick. (When finding items to cut out donut circles, be creative! Salvation Army Donut Lassies used whatever they could find, from baking powder cans to coffee percolator tubes.)
Drop the rings into the lard, making sure the fat is hot enough to brown the donuts gradually. Turn the donuts slowly several times.
When browned, remove donuts and allow excess fat to drip off.
Dust with powdered sugar. Let cool and enjoy.
