Starbucks, Points of Light Launches Employee Volunteer Service Program

Starbucks, in partnership with Points of Light, has announced the launch of a nationwide volunteer community service program. During the initial six-month pilot, thirty-six Starbucks employees from thirteen cities across the country will serve twenty hours a week with a Points of Light affiliate in their respective communities, collectively providing more than seventeen thousand hours of community service, while also working at least twenty hours a week at Starbucks. By working at least twenty hours at Starbucks, each fellow remains eligible for benefits from the company such as comprehensive health care, equity in the form of company stock, and participation in the Starbucks College Achievement Plan. The company also announced that it has awarded $1.3 million in Opportunity for All grants through the Starbucks Foundation in support of organizations serving opportunity youth, refugees, and veterans and military families. This year, grants were awarded to forty-seven programs from communities across the U.S. with input from Starbucks partners and field leaders. “Starbucks partners consistently share with us their passion for service both in and out of their stores,” said Virginia Tenpenny, vice president of Global Social Impact at Starbucks and executive director of the Starbucks Foundation. “The Service Fellows program powers that passion through philanthropy and partnerships to have the greatest impact. Our Service Fellows program is an innovative approach that combines work, service, and partnerships, a model that will inform how we catalyze our partners and grantees to create enduring change in our communities.”