Nike to donate 30,000 shoes to frontline workers fighting COVID-19

Nike is donating 30,000 pairs of shoes specifically designed for healthcare workers to health systems and hospitals in cities across the United States.

The

​, which was released in November 2019, is the company's "first shoe designed for the healthcare athlete, an everyday hero," Nike said in its

​ on Monday.

The company went to OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland, Oregon, to study those in the profession. They took into account the challenges of those on the job, including long hours on their feet and liquid spills and the comfort needed for long shifts.

Nike (

​) partnered with

​, a non-profit specializing in efficient distribution of product donations, to help deliver the shoes to workers in Chicago, Los Angeles, Memphis, and New York City, and within the Veterans Health Administration, according to Nike.

The company said health care workers in New York City and Los Angeles will also receive about 95,000 pairs of soccer socks offering mild compression.

"The effort is led by messages of gratitude to healthcare professionals," Nike said in its release. "From one athlete to another, Nike athletes recognize the physical and mental resilience of healthcare athletes."

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio

​ for the sportswear company.

"Thank you so much for supporting our front line health care heroes," he wrote on Monday.

Hospitals across Europe, including Barcelona, Berlin, London, Milan, Paris and Belgium will receive an additional 2,500 pairs, Nike said.

To date, Nike and the Nike Foundation have committed more than $25 million to Covid-19 relief efforts, according to the company.