Give a Pint of Blood, Get a Pound of Coffee

Now in its fifth year, the partnership between Dunkin’ Donuts and the American Red Cross is going strong.

Dubbed “Give a Pint, Get a Pound,” the January drive means that donors willing to give a pint of blood to the American Red Cross will receive a coupon for a free pound of Dunkin’ Dounts coffee redeemable at franchises in the Northeast. “Give a Pint, Get a Pound” is being held in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont. There are more than 120 blood drives in Connecticut this month, including one in Simsbury on Jan. 16 at the from 1 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.

Since the campaign launched in 2008, Dunkin’ Donuts has offered more than 350,000 pounds of coffee to presenting blood donors. The kickoff for the 2012 partnership will be held at the American Red Cross Blood Center, 209 Farmington Ave., Farmington, on Thursday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. (the blood drive there runs until 6:45 p.m.) The event is sponsored by NBC Connecticut. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Dunkin' Donuts franchisee Michael Batista, and Paul Sullivan, CEO of the American Red Cross - Connecticut Region, will attend. 

Elaine St. Peter, communications program manager for the American Red Cross, commented Tuesday morning at Branford’s blood drive held at   that January has always been a difficult time of year to collect blood. Since the partnership with Dunkin’ began, she said, “Now January is a much better month because people love to come get their Dunkin’ Donuts coffee and help those in need.”

St. Peter said the Connecticut chapter of the American Red Cross distributes about 650 pints of blood daily to state hospitals. The need is great year-round and the “Give a Pint, Get a Pound,” she said, really helps to get people out in the colder months when blood donation is generally down. Since the campaign launced there has been a 16% increase in January blood donors, she said. 

“We have lived through an unprecedented economic downturn in the past five years, but the support of Dunkin ’Donuts has remained steadfast in their desire to help patients in the communities they serve,” said Donna M. Morrissey, director of communications for the American Red Cross Blood Services – Northeast Division. “We are very appreciative of Dunkin’ Donuts for its ongoing dedication to our lifesaving mission through the ‘Give a Pint, Get a Pound’ campaign, which helps the Red Cross increase blood collections so that we can meet the daily needs of patients in area hospitals during the winter months.”