• by Teresa Buyikian , December 4, 2024

You can’t get a lot for $3 these days. But Wendy’s has brough back its annual Key Tag fundraiser, where $3 gets more than a keychain; it also helps foster youth nationwide (in addition to earning the purchaser a free Jr. Frosty).

Wendy’s annual key tag promo return to restaurants and in the Wendy’s app on Dec. 9. The key tags this year feature a jolly, smiling cartoon Frosty with a red heart displayed on its cup.

The proceeds from each Frosty Key Tag sold benefit the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, whose mission is to “find safe, loving and permanent homes for children waiting in foster care.” Ninety percent of every $3 Frosty Key Tag sold will go to the Foundation. In addition to the Key Tags, Wendy’s hold several fundraising efforts throughout the year, all which benefit the Foundation, including the Halloween Boo! Books, the Make a Biggie Difference and coin canisters in-store.

The Frosty Key Tags are available to purchase until Feb. 16 at participating U.S. Wendy's locations. The free Jr. Frosty can be redeemed using the physical key tag or the digital version in the Wendy's app through Dec. 31, 2025.

Over the years the Key Tags themselves have become a collector’s item, with dedicated Reddit forums and some previous year’s Tags selling for as much as $25 on eBay.

The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption began when Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas, who himself was adopted, was asked in 1990 by then President George H.W. Bush to be the spokesperson for a national adoption awareness campaign. This led to the 1992 launch  of the Foundation. The nonprofit says it's helped find forever families for more than 14,800 children across the U.S. and Canada.