Thank The Salvation Army For Your Morning Donut

The next time you dunk your favorite donut, thank The Salvation Army. While The Army may not have invented the first donut – that distinction is lost in history –it can certainly take credit for the popularity of donuts today.

Donut Day was established in 1938 as a means to raise much-needed operating funds for The Salvation Army, and also as a tribute to Army ‘lassies’ who made and served donuts to thousands of soldiers during World War I. While the spelling of doughnut has shortened to “donut” over the years, the popular donut has been the trademark of The Salvation Army ever since WWI.

The Beginning …
In August, 1917, fighting raged near Montiers, France, as soldiers huddled in camp – hungry, weary and drenched by 36 consecutive days of rain. In a tent near the front lines, Salvation Army lassies made donuts by filling a refuge pail with oil. made dough with left over flour and other ingredients on hand, and used a wine bottle as a rolling pin. With a baking powder tin for a cutter end a camphor-ice suck tube for making the holes, donuts were fried – seven at a time – in soldier’s steel helmets on an 18-inch stove. (Later, a seven-pound shell fitted with a one-pound shell was used to cut out the donut holes.)
Rain fell continuously, the water-soaked tent finally Collapsed. However, the 100 donuts made that first day were an immediate success Soon, as many as 500 soldiers stood in muck outside the resurrected tent waiting for the sweet taste of donuts and, before long, 9,000 donuts were being made around the dock. The tent became the first 24-hour donut shop.
Word spread and – although the basic recipe for making the donuts greatly varied from unit to unit – before long, Salvation Army lassies were making donuts wherever the war was being fought Donuts were taken to the front lines, and it was reported that some pilots even dropped notes asking for donuts for their troops.

Donuts Invade Home Front
Following the war, the returning ‘doughboys’ brought back the taste of donuts with them – the donuts that The Salvation Army lassies had fried and served for them in France. Although unknown in the states, donuts had become wartime favorites.
In France, Salvation Army donut supplies were unable to keep pace with the constant demand. Once back home, returning soldiers keep asking for donuts which, initially, were virtually unknown in the states. One by one, bakeries responded and again, the donut was an instant success – only this time in America.
However, the donut’s identity with The Salvation Army stuck. Donuts appeared everywhere The Army did. Ever since that August day in France 81 years ago, millions of servings of “hot coffee and…’ have been provided free by The Salvation Army to fireman, rescue workers, disaster victims – anyone in need. Salvation Army lassies made donuts the popular wartime food, and the donut came to symbolize the good work of The Salvation Army.

Famous Salvation Army Doughboy Doughnut Recipe

• 7-1/2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup lard
• 8 eggs
• 3 large cans evaporated milk
• 3 large cans water
• 18 cups flour
• 18 teaspoons baking powder
• 7-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 8 teaspoons nutmeg

Cream sugar and lard together, beat eggs, add evaporated milk and water. Add liquid to creamed mixture. Mix flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg in large sieve and sift into other mixture. Add enough flour to make e stiff dough. Roll and cut. Five pounds of lard are required to fry the doughnuts. Yield: approximately 250 doughnuts-

Humanitarian Malaak Compton-Rock, a partner with The Salvation Army in a unique program that provides at-risk youths with opportunities to serve in poor communities in  South Africa, was the featured keynote speaker at the latest Salvation Army Greater New York
Division  Book Club Luncheon on May 12^th at ‘21’ Club in Manhattan.

Compton-Rock, founder and coordinator of the program  Journey for Change: Empowering Youth through Global Service (JFC)  was invited to serve as guest author following the recent release of her book, If It Takes a Village, Build One: How I Found Meaning through a Life of Service & 100+ Ways You Can Too.  Compton-Rock is also founder of The Angelrock Project, an online “e-village” that promotes volunteerism, social responsibility and sustainable change. JFC is one of six main causes that fall under The Angerock Project umbrella.

Malaak Compton Rock

During her keynote address, Compton-Rock talked a great deal about JFC, which, in July 2008, sent 30 at-risk youths from The Salvation Army’s community center in Bushwick, Brooklyn, to Johannesburg, South Africa, to serve with the poorest of the poor in shanty towns in the area. Following their return, the youngsters served for a year as JFC spokespersons, performing community service and organizing fundraisers. The goal of the program is to teach youngsters lessons of responsibility and giving, even in the midst of their own struggles, said Compton-Rock, and to lay the groundwork for creating future global leaders who will one day themselves serve as catalysts for social change.

The trip and the months leading up to it were captured as part of a CNN documentary hosted by celebrated journalist Soledad O’Brien. Fittingly, O’Brien was on hand to serve as the luncheon’s MC, reflecting on the work of Compton-Rock, describing her as a great humanitarian and friend.

Also offering remarks was Lt. Colonel Guy D. Klemanski, Divisional Commander of The Salvation Army Greater New York Division, who spoke about the achievements of the JFC program and The Salvation Army’s lasting relationship with Compton-Rock. The wife of comedian Chris Rock, Compton-Rock described her association with The Salvation Army as a way of giving back  as a youth her husband had attended programs at the same Salvation Army community center in Bushwick as the JFC youngsters.

l-r Lt. Colonel Guy Klemanski, Malaak Compton Rock

Lt. Colonel Klemanski presented a plaque to Compton-Rock in appreciation of her humanitarian efforts and for serving as the luncheon’s guest author, while Captain Travis B. Lock, pastor of The Salvation Army’s Bushwick Community Center, presented a plaque to O’Brien for her journalistic excellence and contribution as MC.

The program concluded with a book-signing and sale. Among the guests stopping by was actress/fellow author Tina Louise, who TV aficionados probably best remember for her role as Ginger in the zany1960s sitcom, Gilligan’s Island. Louise and Compton-Rock chatted briefly. Unlike Louise’s unfortunate band of castaways, the JFC youngsters not only returned from their trip as scheduled but returned energized and better for the experience!

All proceeds from the luncheon book sales benefitted the JFC program.

The next JFC global service trip, expanded to include youngsters from other areas in Brooklyn in addition to Bushwick, is scheduled for August 18 to September 3, 2010.