Krispy Kreme offering free doughnuts to blood donors amid national shortage

How sweet it is to help save a life!

Krispy Kreme announced Monday that people who donate blood between now and Jan. 31 will receive a free dozen glazed doughnuts.

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Donors need only show Krispy Kreme employees proof of their donation and the date through “your donor band or sticker, or flash your donor app” to claim the reward. No purchase is necessary, but there is a limit of one free dozen per blood donation, USA Today reported.

The promotion was launched in direct response to the American Red Cross’s Jan. 11 national blood shortage declaration, fueled primarily by a drop in blood drives due to the COVID-19 pandemic and inclement winter weather, the newspaper reported.

>> Related: American Red Cross declares national blood shortage as omicron surges

“We’re grateful for all that the American Red Cross does for our country and we want to help them. Hopefully a free Original Glazed dozen will increase awareness and even mobilize those who can give blood,” Dave Skena, Krispy Kreme chief marketing officer, said in a prepared statement. “We want them to enjoy the doughnuts with our thanks but also share the doughnuts while encouraging others to roll up their sleeves.”

According to Fox Business, wintry weather has forced hundreds of planned blood drives to be canceled in the two weeks since the Red Cross issued its national blood crisis alert, forcing the nonprofit to scale back blood distribution in certain cases.

Paul Sullivan, the organization’s senior vice president of donor services, thanked both Krispy Kreme for rewarding “our generous blood donors who are stepping up to help restock hospital shelves for patients in need during this historic crisis.”

“Our Red Cross teams are working around the clock to meet the needs of hospital patients but can’t do it alone. We hope this thank you from Krispy Kreme will help provide a ‘dozen more reasons’ for eligible individuals to make and keep their donation appointments in the days ahead,” Sullivan said in a prepared statement.

According to USA Today, the promotion’s “Frequently Asked Questions” confirmed that blood donations to organizations other than the American Red Cross will also qualify for the freebie.

Meanwhile, the organization has also partnered with the NFL as part of National Blood Donor Month to automatically enter all donors of blood, plasma or platelets through Jan. 31 into a raffle where the grand prize is a trip to Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles, the newspaper reported.

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