If you're lucky enough to live in one of the 24 states that has a Carvel, swing by today from 3 to 8 p.m. to pick up a free cone — and support a good cause.
To start ice cream season right, the classic chain is giving out a free junior soft-serve cone of vanilla, chocolate or cookie butter (aka speculoos)—one per customer, of course.
While you're there, you can also support a great cause — the American Red Cross — by picking up a $1 coupon book that has more than $20 in Carvel savings. All proceeds will go to the Red Cross, with contributions — supporting disaster relief efforts — now exceeding $150,000 to date, the company said.
RELATED: Almost-instant strawberry soft-serve ice cream
“We’re extremely proud to be a supporter of the American Red Cross for the last six years. Carvel’s guiding purpose is to bring joy to people via simple pleasures, and thus, it was a natural fit to partner with an organization that brings joy to people in a time of need by providing urgent relief and simple comforts," Scott Colwell, president of Carvel, told TODAY.
Last year on TODAY, we celebrated Carvel's free cone day by taking a look at some retro commercials for the ice cream brand, featuring, of course, the iconic Fudgie the Whale cake.
While Fudgie is still around, many of the the 83-year-old ice cream maker's shops have an updated, modern look and a much more expansive menu than back in the day — though the ice cream is still made fresh locally, with local ingredients (Tom Carvel was apparently a hipster pioneer ahead of his time!).
The soft-serve flavors, which vary by shop, now include more than a dozen options, like tiramisu, pumpkin and that cookie butter — which you can try for free today.