Friday, June 6, 2008 is National Doughnut Day. To celebrate, participating stores of a national chain will offer a free doughnut (one per person) to its guests.

Krispy Kreme announced the giveaway earlier this week. To find a Krispy Kreme store near you, use this locator. According to a spokesperson, nearly all stores will be participating but an online listing is not available, so you might want to call and ask if you are going out of your way in hopes of securing a free treat.

The Salvation Army has been recognizing “Donut Day” for many years, beginning in 1938 to honor the work of those who prepared doughnuts for soldiers during World War I. It all started, according to the Metropolitan Division (Chicago) website, in 1917 Salvation Army workers created the treats for soldiers near the front lines in Montiers, France. They made dough with leftover flour and other items on hand; rolled out and cut pastries with a wine bottle and baking powder tin; and fried them in soldier’s steel helmets on an 18-inch stove. (See this story for details).

In more recent doughnut-related news, all items on the Krispy Kreme menu are now trans-fat free. Though I consider myself impartial in regard to pastries, I should mention that Krispy Kreme’s corporate headquarters and I reside in the same North Carolina town. Hence, I may be more alert to this company’s news.

My favorite is the chocolate-covered, custard-filled doughnut. I used to stop by a store on the way home from swimming practice, after I swam a mile or two. Since then, I rarely partake but was glad to hear that I could enjoy calories at no cost.

If you have too far to go for a free doughnut, you can make these at home like my mom used to do: fry canned biscuit dough and dip in confectioner’s sugar or a mixture of mostly brown sugar with cinnamon. They’re not particularly healthy but they do taste good.