Chocolate lovers with hearts of gold can snag a free sweet treat from a celebrity chef for donating blood.
Beginning March 23, Dominique Ansel‘s “3 Lives” chocolate bar will be handed out to those who donate blood at New York Blood Center locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens through March 29.
The Valrhona 62% dark chocolate bar, with dark chocolate ganache and a heart-shaped strawberry ganache center, takes its name from the fact that one blood donation can save three lives, according to organizers.
Ansel, the James Beard Award-winning French pastry chef known for inventing the Cronut®, joined forces with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and the New York Blood Center for the initiative to help drive blood donations, which have seen a 25% decrease since the start of the year.
“With the 3 Lives Bar, I wanted to create a way to say thank you to New York — our home and community — for coming together to give back in a way that will save lives and encourage others to consider donating,” said the 46-year-old Beauvais, France native.
A blood transfusion is required by someone every two seconds in the U.S., according to the New York Blood Center. Among those in desperate need of donations are people with blood diseases, those undergoing cancer treatments or injured in accidents.
“We wanted to find a way to raise awareness and attract new donors in a compelling and culturally relevant way,” NewYork-Presbyterian marketing chief Devika Mathrani said in a statement.
She added that creative agency Havas New York developed the campaign to be “a twist on the ‘drop culture’ phenomenon where limited-edition product releases bring in crowds.”
Participants can register at nyp.org/donateblood#threelivesbar to donate at brick-and-mortar locations in Grand Central, the Upper East Side and Downtown Brooklyn.
Mobile units will also be available in Soho, the Upper West Side, Astoria and Union Square East on select dates throughout the week.
