Krispy Kreme Fans Can Score a Dozen Free Doughnuts, But Not for Long

Krispy Kreme fans have just a few more days to score a dozen delicious Original Glazed doughnuts for free! From now until Monday, Jan. 31, the iconic doughnut chain will be handing out a free Original Glazed dozen to everyone who donates blood. The new deal is Krispy Kreme’s way of incentivizing people to donate amid the American Red Cross’ worst blood shortage in over a decade, with January also marking National Blood Donor Month.

Scoring the free dozen is easy. Doughnut lovers simply need to roll up their sleeves and donate blood anytime from now until the end of January. After donating, Krispy Kreme lovers can show either the donation sticker they received when they donated or confirmation of their donation on the Red Cross blood donor app to receive a free Original Glazed dozen. All types of blood are needed, especially types O positive and O negative, as well as platelet donations, and you can make an appointment to give blood or platelets on the Red Cross Blood Donor App, by visiting RedCrossBlood.org, or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

“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 press release. “We want them to enjoy the doughnuts with our thanks but also share the doughnuts while encouraging others to roll up their sleeves. We’re also encouraging all of our employees who can donate to do so.”

The doughnut company noted that the promo comes after the Red Cross on Jan. 11 announced its first-ever national blood crisis alert and called on all able Americans to roll up their sleeves and donate. The blood shortage has only been worsened by severe winter weather, which has resulted in hundreds of blood drives having to be canceled. Amid the shortage, and due to the severity of it, “the Red Cross continues to have to limit certain blood product distributions to hospitals depending on current inventories.”

In a statement, Paul Sullivan, senior vice president of Donor Services for the American Red Cross, said the Red Cross “is grateful to Krispy Kreme for helping us thank our generous blood donors who are stepping up to help restock hospital shelves for patients in need during this historic crisis.” According to Sullivan, “Red Cross teams are working around the clock to meet the needs of hospital patients but can’t do it alone.” Sullivan expressed hope that the Krispy Kreme promo “will help provide a ‘dozen more reasons’ for eligible individuals to make and keep their donation appointments in the days ahead.”