SWEET: Treats and more bargains this month
GREETINGS , M Y FRIEND
It’s a good time to reconnect with friends and family, and Hallmark can help. The go-to shop for greeting cards is giving away 2 million cards in the hopes of encouraging people to send notes of love and encouragement during these uncertain times. The company is giving away a free three-pack of cards online (including shipping). Sign up to get your complimentary cards at greetings.hallmark.com/careenough. The cards should arrive in the mail within a week or so. Limit one pack per person, while supplies last.
PL AY ROOM
Kids can get bored very quickly, especially when they’re stuck indoors. To help, toymaker Mattel is opening its doors for some online playtime. The new Mat
tel Playroom is a free online resource, featuring fun activities and content from the company’s iconic portfolio of brands. Kids will enjoy all their favorites, including American Girl, Barbie, Fisher-Price, Hot Wheels, Thomas & Friends and more. The site also gives parents easy access to content from its brands, including printable coloring pages, puzzles, activities and ready-to-play games. The site will be updated weekly with new content and activities. mattel.com/en-us/playroom
COLOR A DO GE AR
Who says you can’t go on an Easter egg hunt? (Even better, these eggs contain big savings). This year, Denver-based Aksels is moving its popular Eggs-travaganza Sale online, from March 28 to April 8. And there are plenty of rewards for those who go hunting. Simply hover over any product image online and, if an egg appears, you’ve found one, and can get 40 percent off that item. Find the Golden Egg and get that item for free. To get the savings, you must purchase $20 or more in products. During this time of isolation and social distancing, the company is offering free shipping, too. Happy hunting. aksels.com/pages/eastereggstravaganza
DAY C A RE
In partnership with the State Emergency Childcare Collaborative, the YMCA of Metro Den
ver is offering free full-day child care (ages 5 to 14) Mondays through Fridays from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. The program is for critical use only — for first responders, medical personnel or essential workers who need child care in order to work and support their families. Kids will enjoy arts, crafts, games and movies, all under supervision from experienced staff. In addition, kids will sanitize hands upon arrival and throughout the day. In addition, the staff and registered nurses will monitor children and look for symptoms of COVID-19. Plus, the facilities will be cleaned throughout the day. Children should bring a non-perishable lunch. For complete details, including locations and registration, visit denverymca.org/emergency-childcare.
HERO ’ S W ELCOME
Hospital workers are heroes. There are many ways to thank them for their hard work , courage and kindness -- and free food is a good place to start. Local owners and operators of McDonald’s in Colorado are thanking “all the men and women who put their own lives on the line every day and are serving those affected by this global pandemic” with complimentary food.
From March 25 to April 30, hospital workers can get a free combo meal of their choice at the drive-thru. Limit one per person, with an employee ID or badge. Not all locations are participating. However, there are more than 90 locations throughout Colorado offering the giveaway. For a complete list of participating locations, visit milehighonthecheap.com/mcdonalds-freecombo-hospital-workers-colorado.
DAILY GRIND
Starbucks is offering a complimentary tall brewed coffee (hot or iced) to any customer who identifies as a front-line responder to the COVID-19 outbreak, from March 25 to May 3. If your tastes are more local, Ziggi’s Coffee is pouring one free drink per day for doctors, nurses and first responders, from March 27 to April 11. The offer includes any menu drink in any size (bottled beverages are excluded). Both chains continue to serve beverages from the drive-thru, as a means of protecting customers and staff. stories.starbucks.com/ stories/2020/navigatingthrough-covid-19; ziggiscoffee.com/blog/ziggis-news/freedrink-first-responders.html
SWEET DREAMS
Parents working 9 to 5 from home will now have some starpowered help from Dolly Parton in getting the kids to go to bed. Starting April 2, the country superstar will read bedtime stories to the little ones in a new virtual series called “Goodnight with Dolly.” The 10week series will focus on comforting and reassuring children during this chaotic time for families. The stories will be streamed on Facebook Live every Thursday at 5 p.m. and will be available for replay on various platforms. The series will feature many titles from Parton’s Imagination Library charity, which has given away more than 100 million books. imaginationlibrary.com/goodnight-with-dolly
DO U GHN U TS!
Krispy Kreme is making these tough days a little sweeter. From March 30 to May 11, the shop is providing health care workers with free doughnuts every Monday. The offer is available to physicians, nurses, surgeons, psychologists, dentists, optometrists, pharmacists and their staffs. The limit will vary from one to five dozen original glazed doughnuts, based on production capabilities and product availability at each location. For the rest of us, the shop is spreading some kindness every Saturday. The chain’s Be Sweet Saturdays adds a free dozen original glazed doughnuts to every drivethru, pick-up or delivery order that includes a full-priced original glazed dozen. The hope is that customers will share the complimentary dozen with someone who needs a little cheering up. krispykreme.com/ response-to-covid19; krispykreme.com/promos/ besweetsaturdays
FA RMERS M A RKET
Non-perishable foods may not always be the healthiest of options, so fresh fruit and vegetables are a welcome addition to any diet. Boulder County Farmers Market (BCFM) is connecting local farmers with the community, when getting produce at the grocery store can be a challenge. To meet the demand for fresh produce, BCFM will debut a robust virtual market with online ordering, starting the week of April 19 — with curbside pickup at the Boulder County Fairgrounds in Longmont on Saturdays beginning April 25. Curbside pickup will be available at other locations (Boulder, Union Station and Lafayette) in the following weeks. The organization also has a round-up (tinyurl.com/ FindYourFarmer) of the offerings of nearly 30 of its members farms, including farms ready to sell produce immediately via farm stand, retail locations and online ordering (both for pickup and delivery). bcfm.org Send tips to info@milehighonthecheap.com 14 to 21 days in advance. More freebies, discounts and deals at MileHighOnTheCheap.com.