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Dairy Queen will give away a free small vanilla cone for charity all day on March 15.

(PIXABAY)

Forget that spring diet -- at least for a day -- because March 15 is Free Cone Day at Dairy Queen.



At non-mall locations throughout the Garden State, the ice-cream chain will give away a free small vanilla ice cream cone.



There's a catch, however. As with free pancake day last week at IHOP, DQ visitors will be asked to leave a donation for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. The network helps raise money for their 170 member hospitals across the United States and Canada. AL.com reports that last year, the chain served more than 1,330 cones and raised $140,000.

The first Dairy Queen opened in Joliet, Illinois in 1940. Today, there are roughly 4,800 locations worldwide with over 20,000 employees.

As if that's not enough ice cream, Time reports that Haagen-Dazs and Ben & Jerry's will offer similar promotions later this spring.

To find your nearest Dairy Queen location in New Jersey, click here.

Anthony Venutolo may be reached at avenutolo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @AnthonyVenutolo and Google+. Find NJ.com on Facebook.