Hooray, it's National Doughnut Day! Did you know this giveaway started during America's Great Depression?

Large national chains are joining mom-and-pop shops across America June 5 to offer up a single dose of the sweet stuff, so, if you want to take advantage, you can visit these nearby locations for Krispy Kreme or Dunkin Donuts.

It was the Salvation Army's Chicago, Illinois, branch that created National Doughnut Day in 1938 as a way to raise money to help people in their community struggling through the Depression. The organizers also wanted to honor the Salvation Army's 250 "dough girls" and "dough lassies" who made donuts for troops fighting in Europe.

The American Red Cross picked up doughnut duty for troops in World War II.

Today's doughnut giveaways can be a reminder of that volunteer spirit–or it can be a way to get a free donut if you don't usually have the money, or waste-line for such luxuries.

(READ more from TIME) Photo by DaveCrosby

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