Krispy Kreme Reveals Free Offer for Customers Amid Sweet New Campaign

Krispy Kreme is making its year-long free doughnut giveaway even sweeter. After the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday, Aug. 23 granted full approval to the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine for people age 16 and older, making it the first coronavirus vaccine approved by the FDA, the beloved doughnut chain announced a delicious new upgrade to its ongoing free doughnut vaccination campaign: two free doughnuts for every American who has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Dubbed the weeklong “Show Your Heart” offer, the upgraded campaign runs any time and every day from Monday, Aug. 30 to Sunday, Sept. 5. In addition to receiving one Original Glazed doughnut, those who show their vaccination card will also receive one free Original Glazed Heart Doughnut. The new offer is Krispy Kreme‘s latest way of showing their support of the country’s effort to overcome the pandemic, with Dave Skena, Chief Marketing Officer, saying in a press release, “we all hoped we’d be near the end of this pandemic by now. We’re not. So, please consider getting vaccinated if you’ve not done so already. And then enjoy and share two amazing doughnuts with our heart-felt thanks.”

The free doughnut vaccination campaign first kicked off in March when Krispy Kreme, in an effort to encourage Americans to roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated, announced it would be giving away free doughnuts to those who have received their COVID-19 vaccine. At the time, the chain announced they would “like to show sweet support to those who have received the COVID-19 Vaccine.” At the time, Skena said, “we all want to get COVID-19 behind us as fast as possible and we want to support everyone doing their part to make the country safe by getting vaccinated as soon as the vaccine is available to them.”

Despite Krispy Kreme’s good intentions, the campaign did spur some controversy. In order to receive the free doughnut, doughnut lovers must show their COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card, which people receive after getting their vaccine. The minor detail led to some backlash for differing reasons, with some incorrectly claiming doing so was a violation of HIPAA laws, while others took issue over the fact that obesity is linked to severe illness.

Regardless of the backlash, the campaign has been massively popular. According to Krispy Kreme, more than 2.5 million Original Glazed doughnuts have already been given away as part of the effort. Those doughnuts are on top of the more than 30 million free doughnuts the chain gave to healthcare workers, teachers, graduating seniors, and others in 2020. Krispy Kreme’s vaccination campaign runs every day through the end of 2021.