Princeton businesses sweeten the deal for blood donors

   Tom Grim and Tom Block, owners of Thomas Sweet Ice Cream, Princeton, and Ellen Abernathy, broker-salesperson at Weidel Realtors, Princeton, have announced a "sweet" new program in support of the University Medical Center at Princeton’s blood donor program.
   The program is simple: Each blood donor will receive a thank-you gift certificate good for a hand-packed pint of their famous homemade ice cream. They are pledging to donate a pint of ice cream to each person who makes a donation for the next year.
   Right now, around 1,200 pints of blood a year are donated. The Medical Center needs about 3,500 units of blood per year.
   Thomas Sweet has been a regular supporter of the Princeton Public Library’s Summer Reading Program, the American Boychoir, Hepatitis B Foundation, and the Thomas Sweet Outdoor Film Festival, which will be in its second season this summer.
   Ellen Abernathy brought the program to the attention of Mr. Grim and Mr. Block after reading about the Mercer County Realtor’s blood drive. "I thought we may be able to have a larger turnout if there was a great reward at the end," said Ms. Abernathy. She has been general manager at Thomas Sweet for more than 22 years, in addition to working at Weidel.
   For more information or to make an appointment to donate, call (609) 497-4366.