NEW YORK, NY - MAY 04: A view of colored donuts on display at Time Inc. NewFront 2017 at Hammerstein Ballroom on May 4, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for Time Inc.)

A bunch of donut places are giving out FREE DONUTS for National Donut Day today.  You can get a free donut at participating Krispy Kreme locations.  You don’t even have to buy anything.  (Find the closest participating location here.)

 

You can also get a free donut at Dunkin’ Donuts if you buy a drink.  (Check out a few more donut deals here.)

 

It’s not just a made-up holiday to sell donuts though.  The Salvation Army started it in 1938 to honor a group of women who handed out donuts to soldiers in World War One to boost morale.  So it goes back about 80 years.  Now you know.

 

(And one more National Donut Day note:  Jelly Donut Oreos are hitting shelves today too.  They’ve got vanilla cookies, cream, and a drop of jelly in the center.)

Jelly Donut Oreos Are About to Hit Store Shelves

In case you haven't heard, National Doughnut Day is on Friday-and this year, Oreo wanted to get in on the action. Adding to their lineup of endless creations, which includes flavors like Swedish Fish, Blueberry Pie Brownie Batter, and the most recent Firework Oreos, the company has revealed that a Jelly Donut cookie will be hitting store shelves this weekend.