The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a significant wave of corporate and organisational support for frontline healthcare workers, with numerous free products, services, and discounts made available. These offers span a wide range of categories, including apparel, food, healthcare essentials, and professional development resources. Eligibility typically requires verification of employment as a nurse, doctor, hospital worker, paramedic, or other frontline professional, often through a work email, a photo of an identification badge, or valid identification. Many of these programmes were active during 2020 and 2021, with specific expiration dates or supply limitations. Consumers should verify current availability and terms directly with the providers, as offers may have changed or ended.
Apparel and Footwear Offers
Healthcare workers spending long hours on their feet had access to several free and discounted footwear and apparel options. Specific offers included:
- Crocs: The company donated a free pair of shoes with free shipping to healthcare workers on the frontlines of COVID-19.
- FJOLK: Offered a free pair of shoes from their community. Interested workers were instructed to email [email protected] to request a pair.
- Nursemates: Provided a 15% discount on purchases, including masks, when signing up.
- Kaktos: Offered a 50% discount on socks; workers could email [email protected] for a discount code.
- Third Love: Offered free bras to U.S. healthcare professionals through a process involving the Fit Finder® quiz and email verification of hospital affiliation. It is noted that this offer reached its limit.
- The North Face: Provided a 50% discount to healthcare workers until December 31.
- Reebok: Offered a 50% discount to verified nurses, first responders, teachers, military personnel, and government employees.
- Scrubs and Workwear: An unnamed company offered scrubs for 30% off with the code “FRONTLINES,” along with free shipping on all orders. A free pumping bra and a complimentary nursing tank were also available through specific offers.
- Eyewear: One brand was donating free glasses to healthcare workers, with a limit of five pairs per day.
Food and Beverage Freebies
Several food and beverage companies provided complimentary meals and products. These included:
- McDonald’s: Offered free meals to healthcare workers and first responders through May 5, including breakfast options like an Egg McMuffin or lunch/dinner items such as a double cheeseburger or Filet-O-Fish, plus sides and drinks.
- L.A. Verve Coffee Roasters: Provided a free cup of quick-drip coffee to frontline workers and teachers at all locations.
- La Brea Bakery: Gave away 100 meals to healthcare workers each day through April 30, between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m.
- Waterloo Sparkling Water: Gave away 500 free 8-pack or 12-pack case coupons to nurses and healthcare workers during Nurses Week. Entry required commenting on Waterloo’s Instagram and Facebook pages for a random chance to win.
- &Pizza: Provided free food for healthcare workers via their Hero Pies fundraising programme, which raises money all year to provide freebies to healthcare workers.
- Outback Steakhouse: Offered a 10% discount on the bill using the Heroes Discount, available all year.
- Texas de Brazil: Offered a 15% discount for service members, law enforcement, nurses, EMS, and teachers.
- Aldi: Allowed medical professionals with identification to access the front of any lines forming outside stores.
- BJ’s Wholesale Club: Offered shopping without a membership during designated Appreciation Hours and a free four-month Inner Circle membership.
- BP/Amoco Gas: Provided a single-use discount code for 50 cents off per gallon on a BP or Amoco fuel purchase.
Healthcare Essentials and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Access to personal protective equipment and healthcare essentials was a focus of many freebie programmes. Specific offers included:
- DHAVNI: Offered a free mask upon request.
- Preppi: Donating N95 masks to healthcare workers in need.
- Print For the Cure: Provided faceshields, mask straps, and door openers.
- Sunski: Donates a pair of protective goggles to healthcare professionals for every pair of sunglasses sold. Workers could fill out a form on the Sunski website to request a pair for themselves or their facility.
Service and Utility Discounts
Various service providers offered discounts and free access to support healthcare workers and their families.
- Airbnb: Provided free or subsidized temporary housing for healthcare professionals, relief workers, and first responders.
- Sittercity: Offered essential frontline healthcare workers a free 3-month subscription to Sittercity Premium, which includes tools for building a child care support network.
- Great Wolf Lodge: Pledged to donate up to 10,000 complimentary overnight stays to nurses. From May 4-12, booking a room under code THANKYOU provided a room to a registered nurse and unlocked a discount of up to 50% for guests on stays starting July 6 through October.
- Tide: Offered free laundry services and dry cleaning to families (defined as next of kin) of healthcare workers.
- Verizon Wireless: Offered nurses and their families unlimited plans starting at $30 per line with four lines.
- Orbit CME: Provided a $100 credit.
- Template Ready: Offered a free medical symbol PowerPoint template.
- LinkBuildingHQ: Provided a 15% discount on marketing services using coupon code Covid15-LBUS.
- Amazon: Offered free Kindle nursing books.
- Cloves: Frontline workers could share their story for a chance to win a pair of Cloves.
Fitness and Wellbeing Deals
To support self-care, several companies offered free access to fitness and wellness resources.
- 305 Fitness: Provided free access to dance cardio workouts on YouTube.
- CorePower Yoga: Offered free access to a collection of on-demand classes via the CorePower Yoga On Demand site. Unlimited access to 300+ classes required starting a 7-day free trial.
- The National Park Service: Kept outdoor spaces open wherever possible and maintained an updated list of park closures and openings.
- Nike Training Club App: Offered free workouts by professional trainers on the app. An upgrade to a premium account was available for advanced workouts.
General Information and Verification
For many of these offers, verification of healthcare worker status is a key requirement. Most companies use third-party verification services like ID.me or SheerID, and individuals may need to provide proof of a healthcare license or employment at a healthcare facility.
Regarding availability, most healthcare worker discounts are available year-round, though some companies may offer special promotions during Healthcare Workers Week or other appreciation events. Discount policies vary by company; some allow stacking with other promotions, while others do not. Individuals are advised to check the specific terms and conditions for each deal. Eligibility also varies; some discounts are available to students in healthcare programs, while others require active licensure.
Conclusion
A broad industry effort was made to support healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic through free products, discounts, and service enhancements. Offers ranged from essential PPE and footwear to professional training and mental health support. Eligibility typically required verification of frontline worker status, and many offers had specific expiration dates or supply limits. Consumers should always confirm current details directly with the offering organisation.