Frontline workers are the true heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic — making sure we have healthcare, food, other basic necessities while many of us are fighting the good fight by staying at home. But heroes come in all shapes and sizes. Behind the scenes, some of our favorite geeky companies are pivoting their factories to produce medical supplies, donating proceeds to COVID-19 relief funds, and supporting industries most impacted by the global health crisis.
Check out 10 awesome companies that are providing fans with charitable shopping options — you might come away with some awesome merch, too!
Hero Within
This geeky apparel company always offers awesome, nerdy clothes, but Hero Within is really living up to its name by giving back to those impacted by COVID-19. The company launched a “Stand Together at a Distance” shirt back on March 15, which already sold out. The second variation of the shirt — this time, it’s grey! — is available now, with proceeds going to buy N95 face masks that will be sent to various hospitals across the U.S. For those who would rather donate straight to the cause, Hero Within set up this donation page to fund additional face mask donations.
Fanwraps
Fanwraps is also selling a special COVID-19 T-shirt that offers a bit of humor during a difficult time. The front of the shirt reads “Covid Defense Team,” with icons of soap, beer, toilet paper, and a video game controller. The back has a practical warning: “Keep back 6 ft.” Buying the shirt does give back, too, with 10% of proceeds going to Feeding America.
Big Bald Gallery (Norman Reedus)
If you’ve ever considered buying art by Daryl Norman Reedus, now is the time. During this global health crisis, Reedus’ Big Bald Gallery will donate all proceeds to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.
Spotify
So you don’t technically get any merch out of this one, but Spotify will help your dollars go further by matching all donations made through its COVID-19 Music Relief Site. When you visit the site and donate to one of the organizations that support musicians in need, Spotify will match your donation, dollar for dollar, up to a collective total of $10 million.
RAZER
This popular gamer lifestyle brand is encouraging fans to “stay home and game on” with a new poster. All proceeds from poster sales will go to a foundation fighting the virus, and Razer is converting some of its existing manufacturing lines to help produce supplies for the medical community. We stan!
Inked Gaming
Inked Gaming usually offers dice bags, playmats, card sleeves, and other gaming supplies, but now the company is also manufacturing face masks and shields. For every mask a consumer buys, Inked Gaming will donate four masks to a hospital in need — they have already donated 10,000 masks! Plus, the masks come in adorable patterns, including Corgis, breakfast foods, and angel manatees.
The Long Dark
What better way to cure your cabin fever than with a survival video game? Until March 31, The Long Dark is 60% off as part of a special Social Distancing Fundraiser event on Steam. During the fundraiser, all revenue from the game goes directly to the United Nations Foundation’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization.
Casetify
Casetify makes adorable tech accessories (did somebody say Lisa Frank?), and now they have a UV phone sanitizing machine to keep the tech we love germ-free. On top of that, 100% of the proceeds from this sanitizer — which is already selling like crazy — will go to GlobalGiving’s Coronavirus Relief Fund.
Athlete’s Relief by Pledge It
If you’re going through serious sports withdrawal right now, you can help support the Center for Disaster Philanthropy’s COVID-19 Response Fund and potentially win one-of-a-kind sports memorabilia. This Athlete’s Relief online fundraiser-slash-sweepstakes has everything from a skateboard signed by Tony Hawk to a jersey signed by Rose Lavelle. To enter for a chance to win one of the items in this collection, you just have to donate at least $25 to the cause. At the end of the fundraiser, a random contributor will get each item! Check out the available items and donate here.
R&R Games
The maker of board games including Time’s Up! and Coin Quest, R&R Games is supporting closed local game stores with a special sale. When you use the code “stayNplayAtHome” at checkout, the company will take 30% off the game’s price and donate another 25% to your favorite local game store (FLGS). Once you buy a game (or a dozen; we don’t judge), just email your order number to sales@rnrgames.com along with the name of your FLGS. Then, R&R will send the store a check.
Do you know other fan-facing companies that are using their powers for good during this global crisis? Let us know in the comments!
