Brand Roundup: Who Gave Back for the Pandemic?

Without a doubt, the COVID-19 pandemic drew the world into a standstill. The pandemic handicapped most of the businesses whether big or small, massive number of workers have been laid-off as a form of cost-cutting for the company, and consumers are forced to improvise and depend on the services and businesses currently operating to fulfill their everyday needs. Here are some brands all over the world that are giving back in the Pandemic. 

Food and Restaurants

These brands are extending their helping hand to those in need using their most important product: Food. Online Mobile Delivery Applications are extending their help by partnering with various companies to serve meals and hand out groceries. DoorDash has partnered with United Way Worldwide Inc. to distribute groceries in areas in need. FreshDirect, an online grocery delivery company, added a way for customers to donate a small amount to the New York Common Pantry. 

Freshly, a delivery service recently joined hands with Nestlé donating $500,000 to Meals on Wheels America. On the other hand, Hydrant, a hydration specialist that focuses on infusing elctrolytes to the body without sugar; donated over 6,000 units of their products to frontliner medical workers. They also opened their DMs for healthcare workers to send them a message and in turn offer them to try their products out. 

Clothing and Lifestyle 

Clothing companies have shifted their manufacturing priorities to making face masks. Adidas has donated $3.2 Million to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund and produces an estimated 18,000 face shields weekly for the frontliners and first responders in the USA. Bonobos had the same initiative by donating 10% of their sales to the WHO-created fund. 

Surprisingly, Everlane, a company popular for its basic tees, has created a product line called “100% Human Collection”. This line will donate 100% of its revenues to the WHO COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. Nordstrom partnered with three other lifestyle and clothing brands to manufacture and donate  more than 100,000 masks. Zappos, a popular shoe store partnered with crocs to launch an initiative called “Free Pair for Healthcare”, which donates to healthcare workers. 

As part of their #UnpackThatChallenge, Jansport has donated over 10,000 packs of food to students in need through the World Central kitchen. 

Beauty and Care Essentials

As much as 50,000 meals were donated by Kiehl’s to the COVID-19 Response Fund. Aiming to enforce sanitation, Lush, popular for its body care products have donated thousands of soap to hospitals, airports, and frontliners.  MAC on the other hand has donated $10 Million to aid those in the high risk areas for COVID-19. A total of 10,000 sanitizers were donated to the CIty of Los Angeles, by Orly; a company popular for its nail products. 

Tech Companies

AT&T Wireless has offered a 25% discount of its unlimited wireless service to frontliners, military members, and veterans until the end of May. Apple has donated over 10 Million face masks and is designing a prototype for a medical face mask. Audible has made its collection of kid’s books free for all. Casetify, a well known maker of quality mobile phone cases donated 100% of the proceeds from the Casetify UV Sanitizer to the Global Coronavirus fund. Razer transformed some of its manufacturing lines into face mask manufacturing rigs. They aim to donate over 1 Million masks all over the world. 

Perhaps one of the biggest initiatives was that of eBay. The auction site has laid out three ways for people to help during the pandemic. One is sellers could choose to donate a portion of their sale (10%-100%) as a donation. Another is a way for shoppers to buy “Gifts that Give Back” from one of the charities in the relief operations. Those using Paypal are also given the chance to donate an amount between $1 to $25  everytime they check. In addition to this, the eBay Foundation has launched a $2 Million investment for organizations helping in small businesses and in the COVID-19 efforts. 

These are just some of the businesses who are in it for giving back to their communities. There are brands under our radars that are continuously supporting relief efforts and the frontliners who respond to the call of the pandemic.