Company’s Go Kind During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Since the pandemic began last month, we’ve been bombarded with images of entire countries on lockdown, medical staff in hazmat clobber, and supermarket shelves stripped bare by overly panicked civilians. Not to mention constant updates on the horrific death toll. Truth be told, it’s all looking rather apocalyptic.

So is there anything to feel good about? Well, sort of. When these kinds of events aren’t bringing out the worst in people, they’re bringing out the very best, and major companies are no exception. From free learning courses for quarantined folk, to free grub for our angelic NHS workers, here are our favourite acts of kindness (and let’s not forget good PR) from some pretty awesome companies.

Pret a Manger helps keep NHS staff caffeinated 

Pret, the fuelling station of choice for much of the UK’s workforce, offered free hot drinks to NHS workers across the country as a thank you for their bloody hard work during the pandemic. The kind gesture also included 50% off all cold drinks and food items, with everything on the menu included in the offer. All NHS staff had to do was show their Blue Light Card.

Pret stores are now closed across the UK, but we thank them for supporting our NHS staff.

LinkedIn offers free courses for quarantined workers

With offices shutting down all over the world, many people are now finding themselves working from home for the first time, which isn’t always a walk in the park when you throw children, pets, and your own procrastination into the mix.

Fortunately, LinkedIn is on hand to help. In the wake of the pandemic, the website is now opening up 16 of its learning courses for free, many of which offer tips on staying productive, finding a healthy way to balance work and family life, as well as advice on handling working relationships in a non face-to-face work environment.

U-Haul gives peace of mind to US students

Many students around the world are currently in limbo, as universities face schedule changes and closures, and companies that employ students also close down, which is a pretty big deal for any rent-paying student studying away from home.

In a fuzzy show of kindness, moving and storage company U-Haul is offering 30 days of free storage to any US student that finds themselves in a bit of a pickle. Company President John Taylor said: “More and more universities are giving instructions to leave campus and go home. Students and their parents are in need of moving and storage solutions. We have the expertise and network to help, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”

Heinz covers breakfast for kids

With British schools now closed, food giant Heinz has announced that it’ll be offering a whopping 12 million free breakfasts to children who are at risk of going without. Working in partnership with charity Magic Breakfast, Heinz has based its 12 million figure on the attendance of breakfast club schemes in disadvantaged areas of the UK, and aims to provide each child with one breakfast, five days a week, for two months.

Kraft Heinz Northern Europe’s President, Jojo de Noronha, stated they were “finding other organisations that can help us reach even more children, parents, carers and teachers during this difficult time,” adding “we are encouraging other organisations and companies to come forward with any support possible to ensure no child goes hungry due to these unfortunate school closures.” Brilliant stuff.

Domino’s delivers a slice of gratitude

For pizza-loving NHS workers, Domino’s offer was an absolute no-brainer. In a calorific show of appreciation, the fast-food favourite offered free medium pizzas to doctors, nurses, and all other NHS staff. All they had to do to receive their free pizza was to bring their work ID to participating branches.

Domino’s made the announcement via their social media platforms, saying on their Facebook page: “We want to say thank you to all of our doctors, nurses and NHS staff who are working tirelessly day and night to keep us safe in these difficult times. This Friday, we are giving free pizza to all NHS staff across all of our DS Group Domino’s branches.”