The day has its roots in the First World War, when women from The Salvation Army would make donuts for the troops on the front lines, to give them a taste of home.

A giveaway of free donuts over the lunch hour, in the ByWard Market, came with a side of remembrance on Friday.

June 7 is National Donut Day. The day has its roots in the First World War, when women volunteers with The Salvation Army made donuts for the troops, to give them a taste of home on the front lines.

"They actually took the rations, flipped over their helmets, boiled up some lard, and made donuts in the helmets for the men," said Glenn van Gulik, spokesperson for The Salvation Army.

These 'donut lassies' would also dress the soldiers' wounds and help them read and write letters to and from their loved ones back home, van Gulike said.

The first donut day was organized by The Salvation Army in Chicago, in 1938. Today, organizers hope that having a donut today will also prompt people to remember those who served, and those who help the soldiers coming back from serving in foreign lands.

"We'd love them to remember...the veterans who have sacrificed so much," van Gulik told 1310 NEWS. "But two, come alongside organizations like VETS Canada, or The Salvation Army, who are supporting those in need and in crisis right now."

The Salvation Army and VETS Canada gave away more than 3,000 mini-donuts, supplied by Mavericks Donuts, in the ByWard Market. Each donut came with a card with the original donut recipe that was used by the 'donut lassies' on the front lines during the First World War, more than 100 years ago.