It could always be worse. Almost exactly a year ago, we shared a KFC promotion that donated part of the purchase price of a ginormous soft drink to type 2 diabetes research. You know, the kind of diabetes that is correlated with poor diet and exercise habits, such as drinking ginormous soft drinks. This year’s Wendy’s promo raises money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, or type 1 diabetes–the one not correlated to poor dietary habits. Donate $1, and you get four small Frostys, cups of a sugar-laden dairy-like substance. One small Frosty contains 42 grams of sugar, if you’re wondering. That’s 10.5 teaspoons of sweetness, and kind of a weird item to be selling as a fundraiser for a disease that prevents patients from processing sugar correctly.
Thanks to reader Chris for this photo.
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Paula Deen.
That is all.
Paula Deen has Type 2 diabetes. This fundraiser is for Type 1 (juvenile-onset) diabetes.
i’m glad you know the difference, but it turns out type 1 can be adult onset too. i got type 1 insulin dependent diabetes at age 31. which makes it even more confusing trying to explain the differences to people.
The way I explain is it type 1 means you don’t make any insulin, type 2 means your body is resistant so you don’t make enough.
I played in a charity hockey game the other weekend. We were raising money for diabetes. In addition there was a bake sale. For diabetes. We all knew it was silly, but we did get a lot of purchases by explaining that “First we give you the diabetes with the cupcakes, then your donation helps cure it!”
Haha while I appreciate the irony of a “bake sales” for diabetes, at least you had an active healthy portion of the event. Plus, you’d probably do better with a “bake sale” than a “vegetable platter sale.”
Sometimes you have to give the devil his due.
I bet a fiddle of gold against your soul ‘cuz I think I’m better than you.
Wouldn’t a solid gold fiddle weigh hundreds of pounds and sound crummy?
Well, it’s mostly for show.
You think Grammy winners can actually USE that victrola?
The boy said “My name’s Johnny, and it might be a sin, but I’ll take your bet – and you’re gonna regret it, ’cause I’m the best that’s ever been!”
You know, I really don’t care where the money comes from to fund the research. If it encourages donations then it’s okay with me.
Oh I love the Irony but the easiest way to someones pocketbook is their stomach…or a prostitute.
Am sorry but this is just silly nitpicking. Nothing wrong with enjoying a frosty. Like you already admitted type-1 diabetes is not associated with poor dietary habits. In any case, what does it matter how you get people to donate…so long as they donate? All sorts of things are used to raise money for disease research…
this is just what I came to say.
But can Type I sufferes actually eat these, given their difficulty in processing sugar? I think that’s where the irony (and upset people) comes from.
They probably can eat them. My cousin’s boyfriend has been diabetic since he was a small child, uses an insulin pump, and adjusts his intake to account for any foods high in sugars/carbohydrates. He eats cake, berries, ice cream, all sorts of things — all in moderation, mind.
Why should the participation of the afflicted/affected be a requirement of the fundraiser?
The NFL raises a lot of cash for children’s cancer charities and hospitals, but I don’t see the little tykes suiting up and taking the field. A lot of local kid’s groups raise money with car washes even they they neither own cars nor drive. The target market for the fundraiser is a different group from the target market of the charity.
OMG, Shriners drive those little cars so crippled children can walk. Noooooooooo!!!!!!!!
It’s not that Diabetics can’t eat the same as normal people, it’s just that we need to cover what we eat with Insulin (which our bodies no longer produce on their own.) I love me a Wendy’s Frosty and am willing to take an extra insulin injection if I have to. There’s nothing wrong with indulging once in while if you do it responsibly.
Agreed. And since diabetics have to worry about sugar processing no matter where that sugar comes from, is this article implying that Wendy’s just shouldn’t support JDRF?
Don’t smokers indirectly subsidize various anti-smoking campaigns and smoking-related disease research?
So what, eating a SMALL frosty will not cause on to “catch” type I or type II diabetes. This urban myth is total complete bullshit.
Diabetes is genetic, either you’re born with it or you’re not. You can’t “catch” it like HIV, it can remain in remission if one gets exercise, isn’t overweight, and eats these evil foods in MODERATION (kind of goes with the not being overweight and exercising thing).
All food is broken down into sugar, so the ignorant assertion that diabetics shouldn’t eat anything with sugar is asinine.
The key is moderation and limiting carbs.
But please stop these crap stories about spreading diabetes by selling Frosties or Ice Cream stories. People either have it or they don’t. And if they do, they need to act like adults and be sensible about PORTION CONTROL no matter what they eat.
I think it’s a good thing that money is raised to find a cure for juvenile diabetes.
I don’t think anyone was claiming you could catch Type-1 diabetes like the Flu or the Gay.
Um, this is not a new promotion. They’ve been doing this for at least a couple of years if not longer. You might want to correct your article. I personally have no problem with it.
Sounds like a great idea, and type 1 diabetes is not caused by sugar consumption (neither is type 2, although sugar is definitely a factor).
Consumerist… did you not read the sign?
My cousin’s boyfriend is a lifelong diabetic with an insulin pump, and he loves the hell out of a Frosty.
The Frosty keytags finally made it to where I live. They issued them when I lived in Ohio last year and were good until 12/31/11 and they weren’t here. They cost $1 and you get a free junior frosty with any purchase, no limit from what I can see.
Question related to this and other medical charities: who ultimately gets the charity money for said research? Independent medical research labs or the gigantic pharmaceutical companies, who turn around and sell the medications back to the consumer (the sick) at a premium price?
Obviously, I suspect the latter. However, perhaps I’m not searching with the correct terms on Google…
Type I diabetes is an autoimmune disorder that has NOTHING to do with sugar consumption. In fact, there are times when my type I GF would desperately NEED a Wendy’s Frosty because her blood sugar is too low!
My grandmother, who has mild type II diabetes, doesn’t understand the difference between the two diseases, and often buys my GF sugar-free candy. The only time my GF actually eats candy is when her sugar is low and she NEEDS sugar!
The people eating Frostys will need the diabetes help eventually so they are just being proactive.
Would it hurt to actually read the articles you link to? Especially the articles on your own danged site? The KFC promotion was raising money for the same foundation, which specialises in TYPE 1 diabetes research – you know, the genetic kind that kids get, not the kind that is brought on by poor diet/exercise/whatever that affects (mostly) adults.
Did I miss a memo somewhere or have the Slashdot editors started working here?
Do not, I repeat DO NOT be hatin’ on the beloved Frosty.
“sugar-laden dairy-like substance” sounds like jealousy to me.
Tomorrow, the Oakland A’s are having MUG Root Beer Float Day, with the proceeds going to support junior diabetes research.
A small Frosty has 49g of carbohydrates — actually slightly less than a medium order of fries, so meh.