LYNN — Now this is a day that Homer Simpson could truly appreciate.
Today is “National Doughnut Day.”
And before you chuckle and roll your eyes because you feel it is insignificant in light of all the weighty issues going on in the world, judge slowly.
This isn’t just a day to feast on doughnuts with reckless abandon. It actually has its origins in something a lot more serious than Homer’s “ohhh, doughnuts” exclamation. And today, the Lynn Salvation Army, with the help of Ward 6 Councilor Fred Hogan and local activist Jordan Avery, will pay homage to those origins.
It was the Salvation Army that started “National Doughnut Day,” in 1938, and it’s held annually on the first Friday in June to honor the “Doughnut Lassies” who served the treats to soldiers on the front lines of World War I.
To commemorate the day, the Salvation Army in Lynn will deliver doughnuts to frontline workers at the local fire stations and the Cataldo Ambulance company.
The “Doughnut Lassies” are often credited with popularizing the popular breakfast staples in the United States when the troops returned home from the war. And, the doughnut now serves as a symbol of the services and comfort the Salvation Army provides to more than 23 million people each year, according to Massachusetts communications director Heather MacFarlane.
Hogan loves doughnuts just as much as the next person.
“Who doesn’t love them?” he asks.
So, he was happy to oblige when Capt. Kevin Johnson asked him to help distribute them (along with some coffee as well) to the front line workers. Dunkin’ Donuts on Boston Street, owned by the Mello Family, is donating the food and drink.
“I was never involved much with the Salvation Army,” said Hogan. “But when COVID hit, and I started to volunteer with their food drives, and to see what they’ve been doing over the last few months, it’s been amazing. We’ve met some amazing volunteers.
“Jordan and I are going to take the Salvation Army canteen truck that Capt. Johnson takes to the site of all the fires, and we’re going to be picking up doughnuts and going out to all the fire stations in Lynn and Cataldo Ambulance.”
Hogan anticipates that this will be an all-morning affair, beginning at 8 a.m. and lasting until every firehouse has been visited.
Now that Hogan has gotten involved with the Salvation Army, “they’re doing an amazing job down there now. You see it with their food distribution. It’s been tough lately, but we’re delivering 25-30 boxes a night to families who are quarantined because of COVID.”
