The Salvation Army women who served donuts to the troops fried them in soldiers' helmets. They were known as "Donut Lassies" and are credited with popularising donuts in the United States. National Doughnut Day is now celebrated on the first Friday of June every year, starting in Chicago of 1938, to honour those who served doughnuts to soldiers during World War l. As of 23 October 2016 the Salvation Army operates in 128 countries and provides services in 175 different languages. For administrative purposes, the Salvation Army divides itself geographically into 5 zones and the "zonal departments" at International Headquarters in London, United
The Salvation Army does not address any documented news events of discrimination and claims to debunk these events as urban myth. In November 2013 it was made known that the Salvation Army was referring LGBT individuals to one of several conversion therapy groups. As a response the Salvation Army removed such referrals from their website. A positional statement on the Salvation Army UK and Ireland site stated (but has since been taken down): The positional statement is, however, intended explicitly for members of the Salvation Army and the Salvation Army mission statement as of 2013 states: As of late 2013, activists were still