Nike and a group of athletes are joining forces to donate 30,000 pairs of shoes to hospitals across the U.S. to thank front line health care workers fighting the coronavirus pandemic.
“From one athlete to another, Nike athletes recognize the physical and mental resilience of healthcare athletes,” the company said in the Monday announcement.
The company is donating 30,000 pairs of Nike Air Zoom Pulse sneakers to health systems and hospitals in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, and Memphis, Tenn., as well as providing them to the Veterans Health Administration.
Nike is sending an additional 2,500 pairs of the sneakers to hospitals in Europe, including facilities in Belgium and in cities like Barcelona, Berlin, London, Milan and Paris.
Globally, Nike is donating more than 140,000 pieces of footwear, apparel and equipment through a partnership with the organization Good360.
Nike teamed with athletes from across the world as part of the effort to thank health care workers.
The athletes involved include British boxer Joshua Buatsi, Italian volleyball player Cristina Chirichella, French soccer player Amandine Henry, American basketball player Sabrina lonescu and Ja Morant, Spanish water polo player Anni Espar Llaquet, American baseball player Joc Pederson, American soccer player Casey Short and Belgian athlete Nafi Thiam.
The Nike Air Zoom Pulse is the first shoe the company said is designed for the “healthcare athlete.” The fit, cushioning and traction system were designed to “secure the foot in hospital conditions,” and medical workers in Oregon weighed in on its design, Nike added.
The shoe was unveiled in November 2019.