NEW YORK, May 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- FORTO Coffee and its co-owner, Shaquille O'Neal are donating 1 million FORTO 2oz coffee shots to first responders and medical professionals who are working around the clock to fight off the COVID-19 pandemic.  Healthcare workers on the front lines are currently working over 12-hour shifts and they need to keep their energy levels high as demand for patient testing and medical care continues across the country.

"First Responders are true heroes in this world, and we can't thank them enough for the sacrifices they are making for all of us while we're staying home and social distancing," said Shaquille O'Neal.

FORTO Founder and CEO, Neel Premkumar, comes from a family of physicians, several of whom are on the front lines treating those diagnosed with COVID-19. "I've heard firsthand the challenges our healthcare workers are facing inside the hospitals, and I knew we needed to step up and find a way to support these incredible efforts," said Neel. "I am proud that companies are finding ways to give back and hope that even more will continue to do so. This is going to be a long fight, and we at FORTO will not stop our efforts until this crisis is over."

FORTO began its outreach in early March, quickly distributing 45,000 bottles to the Emergency Response Team in New York City, the epicenter of the outbreak. Another 255,000 bottles have been sent to over 100 hospitals across 32 states, which were identified via the brand's social media outreach, direct correspondence and various partners. FORTO is now scaling its efforts with the promise of donating up to 1 million 2oz coffee shots to healthcare workers throughout the U.S and by next week, they will be more than halfway to their goal.

"When FORTO walked me through their plan, I immediately wanted to talk about how we could make it bigger together and help even more people. So we challenged ourselves to help energize 1 million first responders," added O'Neal.

To learn more about how you can partner with FORTO as they give away 1 million coffee shots, or receive a donation, visit fortocoffee.com and fill out the request form.

SOURCE FORTO Coffee