Free Offers And Discounts For Frontline Workers During The Covid-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted an outpouring of support from companies and organizations across the United States, with numerous businesses offering free products, discounts, and services to frontline healthcare workers and first responders. These expressions of gratitude spanned multiple categories, from food and beverages to apparel, wellness resources, and essential services. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the freebies and discounts available to those working on the frontlines during the global health crisis.

Food and Beverage Freebies

Many food and beverage companies stepped up to show appreciation for frontline workers by offering complimentary items and meals. These offerings provided both sustenance and a token of thanks for those working long hours under challenging conditions.

Coffee and quick snacks were among the most commonly offered freebies. Starbucks provided free tall brewed or iced coffees to first responders and front-line healthcare workers through the end of May 2020. Similarly, Wawa offered free coffee of any size for healthcare workers and first responders until the crisis was averted. Sheetz also participated in this effort, offering free coffee for frontline workers through June 1st. Circle K provided free Polar Pops to first responders and healthcare professionals.

Donut chain Krispy Kreme offered free dozens of their famous Original Glazed® Doughnuts on Mondays through Nurses' Week, which ended on May 12th, 2020. For those needing quick energy, Snickers provided free candy bars to nurses and other essential workers through an e-gift card program that could be redeemed at Walmart.

For more substantial meals, Nando's gave out 50 free peri-peri chicken takeout meals daily at every Nando's location in North America through May 17th, 2020. McDonald's offered a free 'thank you heroes' meal through May 5th, 2020. Little Caesars Pizza donated pizzas to facilities and frontline workers, though organizations needed to be nominated through an online form.

In a more structured approach, Uber committed to providing 300,000 free meals to first responders. The company announced in an update on their COVID-19 response that they recognized "the work of medical and crisis response teams can be tireless, and the hours long." Organizations interested in receiving meals could reach out to [email protected] for more information.

Apparel and Footwear Offers

Several companies in the apparel and footwear industry showed their appreciation by providing free or discounted products to frontline workers. These offers were particularly valuable as healthcare workers often needed comfortable, durable clothing and footwear for long shifts.

Crocs made a significant commitment by donating a free pair of shoes (with free shipping) to healthcare workers on the frontlines of COVID-19. Healthcare workers could claim their free pair through a dedicated process, though they might need to check the website and "get in line" for their pair.

Sustainable shoe brand Allbirds announced via tweet that they were providing a free pair of shoes for every healthcare professional on the front lines fighting the virus. To claim a pair while supplies lasted, individuals could email [email protected]. Similarly, Barco Uniforms, a recognized leader in medical apparel, donated scrubs to medical professionals on the frontlines for the duration of the COVID-19 crisis. Medical professionals could submit a request through a dedicated form on the company's website.

Other companies offered discounts rather than free products. Under Armour provided a 40% discount code to first responders, healthcare workers, and active police, fire, nurses, doctors, and EMT customers. They later extended this discount to teachers and educators, also offering 40% off for this group. Nike offered a 20% discount for first responders and medical professionals, while Reebok provided a 50% discount for nurses, first responders, teachers, military personnel, and government employees.

Ably Apparel encouraged first responders to tag themselves on the company's Instagram page starting April 8th, after which the company would send them a free item from their website. Kerusso offered first responders a 10% discount on anything in their store as a token of gratitude. Tieks by Gavrieli launched a campaign encouraging customers to sew masks for frontline workers, offering a $50 gift card to anyone who sewed 25 masks and a $100 gift card for 50 or more masks.

For those needing specialized footwear, Clove included free compression socks with every shoe purchase. Customers could add a pair of socks to their cart containing shoes and use code WITHLOVE to receive the discount. The Jim Coleman store created special shirts and water bottles for healthcare heroes, though these appeared to be for sale rather than free.

Wellness and Mental Health Resources

Recognizing the mental health challenges faced by frontline workers during the pandemic, several companies offered free wellness resources and mental health support.

Headspace, an online wellness platform with guided exercises, videos, and other resources to help increase happiness and improve mental health, made their services free for healthcare workers through 2020. The platform offered tools to help manage stress and maintain mental wellbeing during the unprecedented crisis.

Nurse.com provided a free online COVID-19 course, helping healthcare workers stay informed about the evolving pandemic. These educational resources were particularly valuable as understanding of the virus continued to develop during the early months of the pandemic.

Product and Service Discounts

Beyond food, apparel, and wellness resources, numerous companies offered discounts on essential products and services to frontline workers.

BP offered 50 cents off per gallon of gas to nurses and first responders, providing savings on transportation costs for those commuting to essential work. Asics offered 60% off to nurses and first responders on their athletic footwear and apparel. The North Face provided 50% off for healthcare workers on full-price items. Otterbox offered 40% off to frontline workers on protective phone cases.

Hilton Hotels partnered with AACN members to offer up to a seven-night free stay for frontline workers, providing accommodation for those who needed to isolate or simply wanted a place to rest between shifts. Tide Cleaners offered laundry service for frontline health workers and their families, ensuring that uniforms and work clothing remained clean without adding to the burden on these essential workers.

How to Access These Offers

Access to these offers varied by company, with some requiring verification of professional status while others were more straightforward.

For offers requiring verification, some companies used ID.me, a digital identity verification service. Healthcare workers needed to sign up for ID.me and verify their professional status to access certain discounts. This verification process helped ensure that offers reached the intended recipients.

For free products like shoes and scrubs, companies typically required direct requests through email, online forms, or social media tagging. Some offers had limited availability and were distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Many offers were time-limited, with specific expiration dates mentioned in the source materials. For example, Starbucks' coffee offer was available through May 3rd, 2020, while Nando's meal promotion ended on May 17th, 2020. Other offers were available "until the crisis is averted" or for "the duration of the COVID-19 crisis," though these timeframes were less precise.

Some offers required nomination by organizations rather than individual requests. For instance, Little Caesars Pizza required organizations to fill out and nominate their facilities to receive pizza donations.

Conclusion

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted an extraordinary response from companies and organizations across the United States, with numerous businesses showing their appreciation for frontline healthcare workers and first responders through free products, discounts, and services. These offers spanned multiple categories, including food and beverages, apparel and footwear, wellness resources, and essential services.

While these freebies and discounts did not solve the larger challenges posed by the pandemic, they provided tangible support and recognition for those working on the frontlines. From free coffee and meals to comfortable shoes and mental health resources, these offers acknowledged the sacrifices made by healthcare workers and first responders during an unprecedented global health crisis.

The variety and creativity of these offers demonstrated how different industries could contribute support in meaningful ways. Whether through direct donations, discounts on essential products, or providing resources for mental wellbeing, these gestures helped frontline workers feel appreciated during a particularly challenging time.

Sources

1. Freebies for Frontline Healthcare Workers during COVID-19
2. First Responder Freebies during COVID-19
3. First Responder Freebies during COVID-19
4. Frontline Discounts during COVID-19
5. Offers, Freebies & Discounts for Healthcare Workers
6. COVID-19 FREEBIES During the Coronavirus Pandemic