Donut Eating Contest on National Donut Day
June 6, 2024
The Salvation Army announced today they will host a donut eating contest in celebration of National Donut Day at Noon on June 7. The eating contest will be held in the Peace Plaza, the exact location dependent on the weather conditions, and the competitors include a representative from the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office, the Rochester Police Department, and three representatives from the Rochester Fire Department.
With donuts generously donated by Rochester Hy-Vee, not only will there be a donut eating competition, but all visitors to The Salvation Army Day Center and residents of The Salvation Army Castleview Apartments will receive a donut to celebrate the day.
The Salvation Army began celebrating National Donut Day during the Great Depression, but the organization’s history with the sweet treat actually goes back to the First World War. The Salvation Army sent women overseas to support soldiers fighting on the front lines by writing letters, providing basic first aid, mending clothing, etc. In order to lift the spirits of the soldiers, these women, dubbed “lassies,” began making donuts. By the end of the war, they were making tens of thousands of donuts for soldiers every day.
When the soldiers came home from war, they craved the treat they’d had on the front lines. So American businesses started making donuts at home, leading to the popularization of the now classic American donut.
“The Salvation Army has been in existence for over 150 years,” said Major Cornell Voeller, Corps Officer for Business at the Rochester Salvation Army, “It’s important for us to both celebrate our history with our community members and to share the services we continue to provide here in Rochester. We hope everyone downtown is able to stop by on their lunch break to cheer people on and to celebrate with us.”
All media representatives are welcome to attend to film or photograph the eating contest. Representatives from The Salvation Army, as well as the contestants themselves, will be available for interviews after the contest.