A kind gesture to feed our heroes.
In a bid to help frontline NHS workers in any way they can, food delivery app Deliveroo has pledged to give 500,000 meals to NHS staff for free, with the help of partners such as Pizza Hut, German Doner Kebab and Itsu.
The delivery service has been working on receiving donations from its food partners, securing over 350,000 free meals already – a huge amount of which has been donated by Pizza Hut. Work has already begun delivering hot food to NHS trusts in London, with thousands of meals set to be delivered over the coming week across both Manchester and London.
Will Shu, CEO and founder of Deliveroo, said: “Those in the NHS working night and day to save lives are the real heroes of this crisis, and we want to do our small part to support them and the vulnerable who aren’t able to leave their homes. Thanks to our dedicated riders, the generosity of our restaurant partners and their teams who are keeping kitchens open to serve those most in need, we hope to be able to make a difference. Deliveroo is a British business and, as the founder, nothing would make me more proud than to use the network we have built to support the NHS, and I know the restaurant sector wants to play its part too.”
Deliveroo has also announced that they “stand ready” and are prepared to deliver food at sites where it’s required most, including the new Nightingale Hospital which is expected to house up to 4000 hospital beds. The meals will be available over time as Deliveroo works with hospitals to determine where “need is greatest”, and they will be giving all restaurant partners the chance to donate meals across the country. The donations will be made in all areas that Deliveroo is available, however, deliveries have begun to roll out across London and Manchester before expanding across the country.
In addition to the deliveries, the food delivery app is working to collect donations from both partners and customers to make all of this happen, a great way to get involved if you’re looking for a small way to help during the pandemic. All donations will be used to pay for the food and the delivery, with any excess money being donated to the NHS.
If that wasn’t enough do-gooding, Deliveroo has also been donating food to the vulnerable too, working with St Mungo’s and a number of other charities to deliver meals to the homeless while the streets are empty. The business will be continuing its efforts throughout the outbreak.