An ongoing list of food businesses, delivery services, and restaurants donating to healthcare workers on the front lines
by Connie Chen, Business Insider US- Donating food is an easy way to support and fuel healthcare workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.
- Businesses like Goldbelly and Sweetgreen are giving meals and boxes of food to these workers.
- If you’re a healthcare worker yourself, you can also get free food from chains like Chipotle and Starbucks.
- See also: 22 perfect gifts to show your appreciation to nurses and healthcare workers
As frontline heroes in the fight against the coronavirus, healthcare workers like doctors and nurses often sacrifice their own physical and mental well-being in order to take care of others.
To reduce the spread of the virus and thus the strain on medical facilities, you should stay at home and follow social distancing rules. But if you’re looking for additional ways to help these essential workers and show your appreciation for all they do, here’s how.
Many online companies and restaurants are currently providing donations and free food or drinks to healthcare workers who show their ID or other proof of employment. You can do your part by donating directly through these businesses, who will ensure the food is delivered to the right people, and by buying gift cards from restaurants that are shifting production to feed those on the front lines. Check out our list of food companies, delivery services, and restaurants giving back, below.
Online food companies
- Beyond Meat: The company is donating meals to food banks and healthcare workers in New York, Los Angeles, and other cities.
- Bread Basket: Donate a curated basket of bread and sweets ($30) to healthcare workers at Montefiore Medical Center, North Central Bronx Hospital, Hoboken University Medical Center, and Mount Sinai Hospital.
- Built Bar: Built Bar is donating over 500,000 protein and energy bars to hospitals in New Jersey, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, and Salt Lake.
- Girl Scouts: You can add a cookie donation ($5 a box) to your Girl Scouts cookie order online. Local Girl Scouts will deliver them to first responders and healthcare workers.
- Goldbelly: Buy a City Subscription food box for New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New Orleans, and Miami, and 100% of net proceeds will go towards the delivery of Goldbelly boxes to healthcare workers.
- Hu: In partnership with FIGS, Hu Kitchen is donating packages of chocolate, crackers, and scrubs to hospitals nationwide.
- Hydrant: Healthcare workers can claim free hydration mix products by direct messaging the brand’s Instagram account. Hydrant has also donated 6,000 rapid rehydration packs to doctors, nurses, and hospital administrators via the Mount Sinai Health System and Saddleback Medical Center.
- Lupii: For every variety pack purchased, Lupii will donate a 12-bar variety pack to healthcare workers in New York City, through May 31.
- Pipcorn: Pipcorn is sending snacks to hospitals nationwide and has also partnered with the New York Food Truck Association to feed doctors, nurses, and other first responders at New York City hospitals, including NYU Langone and Mount Sinai.
- So Good So You: Nominate a healthcare worker and their hospital to receive care packages of wellness juices and shots. Use this survey form to submit your nomination.
- Territory Foods: Donate meals to healthcare workers in California, New York, Virginia, DC, Texas, Maryland, and Pennsylvania here. For every two meals donated, Territory will donate an additional meal to a hospital in the above regions.
- The Goods Mart: Donate a Surprise Snack Box ($20-$60) to healthcare workers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital, Mount Sinai, and NYU Langone.
- Verb: Healthcare workers can text 415-915-8372 to receive 12 free Verb energy bars. Verb will also donate one bar to a healthcare worker for every two bars purchased.
Restaurants and chains
- &pizza: Text “#feedthem” to 200-03 to donate pizza to healthcare workers. You can also make a donation here ($10 per pizza).
- Chipotle: Healthcare workers can request free burritos for their medical facility here. Through May 31, Chipotle is also matching 10% of special “Thank You” e-gift card purchases, up to a maximum of $250,000, and donating to Direct Relief, which provides personal protective equipment and essential medical items to healthcare workers in the U.S. and around the world.
- Chop’t: Place any order with a “Feed the Frontline” item to donate a meal to a healthcare worker.
- Dig Inn: Text “GIVEDIG” to 80519 to gift a meal to a healthcare worker. You can also make a donation here to provide a meal.
- Dos Toros: Add a “Feed the Frontline” burrito bowl to your cart to donate a meal to a healthcare worker.
- Dough Doughnuts: In partnership with Frontline Sweet Support, Dough is providing free boxes of doughnuts to healthcare workers in the tri-state area. You can donate between $18 to $750 (8 to 335 doughnuts) to a hospital location of your choice.
- Krispy Kreme: Krispy Kreme is adding a free dozen original glazed doughnuts to every pick-up, drive-thru and delivery order that includes a full price dozen original glazed doughnuts or more, to encourage sharing with a healthcare worker you know.
- Mighty Quinn’s BBQ: Free sandwiches for hospital staff, with valid ID, at locations in New York and New Jersey.
- Saladworks: Through the company’s Fives for Lives campaign, you can contribute $5 through your local Saladworks – or through fivesforlives.com – on behalf of healthcare workers who are on the front lines. Each $5 contribution provides a local hospital with a free Saladworks meal.
- Starbucks: Through May 31, Starbucks is giving free tall brewed coffee (hot or iced) to first responders and healthcare workers. Qualifying workers can call their local store ahead of time to redeem their free coffee.
- Sweetgreen: Make a one-time or monthly donation here to help provide salads and bowls to healthcare workers at hospitals nationwide. Sweetgreen has served more than 100,000 meals so far, with a goal of 250,000.
- Yogurtland: Yogurtland is donating frozen yogurt cups to hospitals in the Los Angeles area.