Starbucks Community Service

Thanks Andrew.....a great question.  I am going to continue my work with local schools, but also continually challenge myself to ensure my actions are relevant to my community and think of how to include those who haven't been involved before.  I also want to ensure we are providing the right tools and resources to support partner efforts and find new ways to highlight the stories that are out there. The team is working on exciting updates to the website - but we need to continue to drive what partners most need.  Hearing how others have determined relevance and how they have impacted communities in large and small ways are both inspirational and helpful examples as we support partners around the globe in their efforts.  I look forward to hearing what people are doing and what they need to continue their efforts.   mary

Hi Andrew-Great question. Personally, I am recommiting to an organization I support, Disabled Sports USA/Orange County, in order to continue to help disabled individuals to learn and enjoy snow sports. Additionally, the DM team I support is commited to participating in community activities 2x a quarter. We have a focus this year on youth and hunger relief, and we look forward to finding ways to impact these two important areas. We are also commited to collaborating with our licensee business partners to find ways to work together at making a difference in the communities that we serve.

Lastly, I look forward to working together with both LS and CO leaders within the Sunbelt so we can leverage the collective strengths of our teams to do good in the areas we do business.

Andrew,

My personal commitment as the Community Champion in the Mid Atlantic is to continue to find ways to empower our partners to give back to the community. Success will be defined by individual efforts and our ability to make a difference in the communities we serve. I will continue ensure that we leverage this website to share stores to inspire and encourage partners to start or join existing activities. I will reinforce the importance of capturing this great work and recording it to make sure we are able to celebrate success with our partners and customers.

We will also make sure we tell our story on our Community Boards as this is the most direct way to share with our customers. I will continue to build on existing relationships with organizations that have helped to provide opportunities for our partners to get involved. I will also roll model the behavior I expect of others by getting involved and making a difference. I am very confidant that we will be able to build on the success of last year and take community service to a whole new level in FY12.

Thanks,

Marc Backer

Regional Director, Maryland Region

I was so inspired by our FY11 global contribution of 420,174 service hours and the difference we were able to make in neighborhoods around the world. In FY12, I commit to helping us build upon these hours, but even more importantly, focus on the impact we can make as a result of our service hours. I will look for projects that address the needs of my neighborhood and bring family, friends and other partners along to serve beside me.

As part of the Partner Communications & Engagement team, I have the priviledge of working everyday to engage partners in our community programs and initiatives. I'm excited to share blog posts and other community-focused communications with partners, collaborate with a team of partners and vendors to enhance this website and coordinate service events.

We've got a great conversation going here, Andrew, and I can't wait to hear more. I'm going to tell other partners to join in!

Andrew, thank you for your inspirational message and rally to declare our commitments to community!  I commit to participating in 1 community event each quarter.  Throughout my 20 year journey at Starbucks I am always "blown away" by our partners contributions and how we give so freely of our time and energy to what we are passionate about.  My team here at the SSC is passionate about our community and families in need.  Last week we (60 partners) carpooled to the food bank Northwest Harvest, and packaged over 6,000 pounds of pasta for families in need.  We have partners putting out "giving trees" for ChildHaven--an organization dedicated to providing families clothing, supplies and gifts at holiday and throughout the year...When we work together our efforts seem easy and go such a long way in being a force for change.

Here's to another world class year of service to our communities!

Carol