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International Nurses Day: The food and drink brands supporting NHS workers
Across the UK, people and businesses have been rallying around healthcare staff to support them through the pandemic
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Your support makes all the difference.Around the country over the past year, millions of people have been showing their appreciation for NHS staff working on the front line during the coronavirus pandemic.
Many of us joined in by clapping for NHS and other key workers at 8pm on Thursdays while supermarkets dedicated certain shopping hours to allow key workers doing long hours and night shifts to buy food safely.
But frontline workers can’t always get to supermarkets, or are not able to secure a supermarket delivery slot. And for those people, small and big businesses are putting their resources into donating boxes of food and drink, and offering discounts for health service workers nationwide.
The NHS also has an extensive list of discounts available to its staff, which covers food shops, taxi companies and supermarkets.
We’ve seen flower shops, mindfulness apps, high-street retailers and beauty brands all offering discounts, as a token of support for the work they do.
Read more:
International Nurses Day – falling on 12 May every year to commemorate the birth of Florence Nightingale – is this year paying respect to all the frontline workers who have battled coronavirus over the past year.
To mark the annual event, here are just some of those businesses that have already rallied round to support our NHS staff – from supermarkets to restaurants and delivery apps.
You can trust our independent round-ups. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections. This revenue helps us to fund journalism across The Independent.
Beer brand Brewgooder (which usually supports clean water charities) is donating a proportion of its beers at cost price to NHS workers with a campaign called ”One on us”. It has created a platform for customers to donate a four-pack of beer to an NHS employee with a £6 donation.
This will cover the cost to brew, pack and deliver the beer with a message included, while NHS workers can claim their four-pack by filling in this quick form.
It’s limited to one pack per person and available for delivery at residential addresses only.
Frontline workers can enjoy an ongoing 50 per cent off food from Gino2go delivery (within a five mile radius of local restaurants) or via its collection service.
For restaurant-quality food in the comfort of your own home, simply email the local Gino restaurant from a work email and show an NHS ID on delivery to obtain the promotional code.
Aside from offering 30 per cent off its menu for health service workers, Leon also spearheaded a campaign, #FeedNHS, to deliver free hot meals to hospital staff – alongside Wasabi, Pizza Pilgrims, Franco Manca and more.
During the pandemic, it also teamed up with actors Damian Lewis, the late Helen McCrory and Matt Lucas with the aim of crowdfunding £1m and delivering 6,000 meals a day.
So far it has raised more than £1,260,699, and has raised its target to £2m. To donate to the campaign, find the #FeedNHS campaign’s Just Giving page here.
This recipe box service takes healthy ingredients and a recipe card to follow right to you door, to take the stress out of shopping and deciding what to cook.
For NHS workers, it is offering 30 per cent off its food boxes and ready meal deliveries, which is ideal if you can’t make it to a supermarket during opening hours.
You will need to email hello@mindfulchef.com from your NHS email address and they will provide you with a code to access the discount.
Staff that join the NHS Club at Morrisons can enjoy benefits including special offers, discounts and more – as well as 10 per cent off shopping in store and free delivery online.
Read more: 10 best recipe boxes and food deliveries sent right to your door
Healthcare workers can also register with a verified NHS email address plus identification number and receive a grocery box for them and their family. The boxes feed two adults for a week, contain other essential household items and have free delivery.
The food waste app that earned a spot in our round-up of the best waste prevention apps is still spearheading its #Cook4Carers campaign, where NHS and healthcare workers can claim meals and food specifically for them through the Olio platform.
The meals available in your neighbourhood can be collected through non-contact pick-up – helping prevent food waste as well as feeding hard-working NHS staff.
The chef, based in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, along with a local group of volunteers, raised £100,000 in just 48 hours to help feed NHS staff. The initiative, Meals from Marlow, began with the idea of providing 500 free meals a day to local healthcare and frontline workers.
But after reaching its target, the group, which includes the town’s mayor and town clerk, decided to expand the service to provide 1,000 meals a day in the Buckingham and Berkshire areas over eight weeks.
The group has now upped the target to £75,000 to expand the project further and deliver 750 meals per week, with the project now formalised as a permanent charity to support for those in need in the region.
Donate to Meals from Marlow now
Food delivery service Uber Eats is offering 10 per cent off all orders and free delivery over £20 for those who join up with an NHS Uber Eats corporate account. Simply enter an NHS work email address to take advantage of the offer.
NHS workers and members of the emergency services can enjoy 25 per cent off dining in or on click and collect from Yo! restaurants through the Blue Card website or app. Show the code at one of the chain’s locations and enjoy sushi, ramen, salads and more at a fraction of the cost.
Voucher codes
For the latest offers on food and drink, try the links below:
Read our guides on online wine shops, subscription boxes and online food shops still delivering