Starting Mar. 2, Spring arrives at Starbucks with the debut of its latest menu, offering customers moments of joy and more delicious choices to fit their lifestyle and taste preferences. The menu includes adding a new line of non-dairy iced shaken espresso and the national launch of Oatly oatmilk to the majority of menus in U.S. stores.

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The new Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso and Iced Chocolate Almondmilk Shaken Espresso are the perfect iced non-dairy duo that provide customers with more delicious plant-based beverages at Starbucks. And, with the national launch of oatmilk, customers now have a fourth non-dairy milk to customize their favorite Starbucks beverage (other non-dairy choices include soymilk, coconutmilk and almondmilk). Customers can also try oatmilk in the Honey Oatmilk Latte, which is now available to customers nationwide for the first time. Also new to the majority of food menus is the Chickpea Bites &amp; Avocado Protein Box, which offers a good source of protein and is meat and dairy free.

There are several convenient ways to order Starbucks new spring beverages and food. Customers can use the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.starbucks.com%2Fcoffeehouse%2Fmobile-apps&amp;data=04%7C01%7CAlli.Colzani%40edelman.com%7C93fb93888d7641d57aee08d88c0d4a4f%7Cb824bfb3918e43c2bb1cdcc1ba40a82b%7C0%7C0%7C637413336058558628%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=K5nsLlD%2BGQfqm2wuRaelymlD2cY%2Byqcfl%2FaKBI%2Fu5dM%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Starbucks app</a> to locate a store, view store hours, order ahead and use contactless payment, as well as determine the most convenient available pick-up option, including: in-store, at the door, drive-thru, and curbside pickup where available. Those looking for Starbucks® coffee without leaving home can place an order for delivery through <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://delivery.starbucks.com/" target="_blank">Starbucks® Delivers</a> via Uber Eats (check the Uber Eats app for availability and restrictions).

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Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso

Combining the trends of cold coffee and oatmilk, Starbucks baristas shake <a href="https://www.starbucks.com/menu/product/2122186/whole-bean?parent=%2Fat-home-coffee%2Fwhole-bean%2Fblonde-roast">Starbucks® Blonde espresso</a>, brown sugar and cinnamon together, and then top it off with oatmilk and ice for a cool lift to help cold coffee lovers power through their day. Available at most Starbucks locations in the U.S.

Iced Chocolate Almondmilk Shaken Espresso

This iced non-dairy beverage features <a href="https://www.starbucks.com/menu/product/2122186/whole-bean?parent=%2Fat-home-coffee%2Fwhole-bean%2Fblonde-roast">Starbucks® Blonde espresso</a>, cocoa and notes of malt, shaken together and topped with almondmilk and ice for an invigorating treat to help cold coffee lovers power through their day. Available at most Starbucks locations in the U.S.

Chickpea Bites &amp; Avocado Protein Box

This protein box features plant-based items, including chickpea bites, snap peas, mini carrots, dried cranberry nut mix, and an avocado spread. This on-the-go box is also a good source of protein with 15 grams per box. Available at most Starbucks locations in the U.S.

Starting Tuesday, Mar. 2, Oatly oatmilk will join Starbucks menu nationwide (available at most Starbucks locations in the U.S.). Oatly oatmilk is creamy, delicious, plant-based and pairs perfectly in customers’ favorite Starbucks beverage, including the new Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso along with Honey Oatmilk Latte. Learn more about Oatly oatmilk here.

Honey Oatmilk Latte Goes National

Available for the first time nationwide, the <a href="https://www.starbucks.com/menu/product/2123163/hot?parent=%2Fdrinks%2Fhot-coffees%2Flattes">Honey Oatmilk Latte</a> features oatmilk and <a href="https://www.starbucks.com/menu/product/2122186/whole-bean?parent=%2Fat-home-coffee%2Fwhole-bean%2Fblonde-roast">Starbucks® Blonde Espresso Roast</a> intentionally combined with a hint of honey and a toasted honey topping. This latte is available hot or iced.&nbsp;

In celebration of the spring season, Starbucks invites customers to try four fan-favorite beverages available year-round at most Starbucks locations in the U.S.

Iced Pineapple Matcha Drink

Starbucks premium Matcha green tea is shaken with juicy flavors of pineapple and ginger along with coconutmilk and ice for <a href="https://www.starbucks.com/menu/product/2123189/iced?parent=%2Fdrinks%2Fcold-drinks%2Ficed-coconutmilk-drinks">a delicious beverage</a> to uplift your day. This fan-favorite beverage made its debut last spring and continues to brighten up matcha fans’ days year-round.

<a href="https://www.starbucks.com/menu/product/2122275/iced?parent=%2Fdrinks%2Fcold-drinks%2Fstarbucks-refreshers">The Pink Drink</a> features Starbucks crisp Strawberry Açaí Refreshers® Beverage, with its accents of passion fruit, and is combined with creamy coconutmilk. A fruity and refreshing sip of spring, no matter what time of year. Available at most Starbucks locations in the U.S.

Try Starbucks cream cold brew duo, <a href="https://www.starbucks.com/menu/product/2122795/iced?parent=%2Fdrinks%2Fcold-coffees%2Fcold-brews">Salted Caramel Cream Cold Brew</a> and <a href="https://www.starbucks.com/menu/product/2121859/iced?parent=%2Fdrinks%2Fcold-coffees%2Fcold-brews#:~:text=Our%20slow%2Dsteeped%20custom%20blend,%2Dtop%20and%20super%2Dsmooth.">Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew</a>. Salted Caramel Cold Brew features Starbucks® Cold Brew coffee sweetened with caramel and topped with a salted, rich cold foam and the Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew features Starbucks® Cold Brew coffee accented with vanilla flavor and topped with a delicate float of house-made vanilla sweet cream. Available at most Starbucks locations in the U.S.

Customizing Iced Tea at Starbucks

In addition to <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstories.starbucks.com%2Fpress%2F2018%2Fcustomizing-beverages-at-starbucks-stores%2F&amp;data=02%7C01%7CNick.Sampogna%40edelman.com%7C884c17a1a5ff4cf7d28308d86bdefa82%7Cb824bfb3918e43c2bb1cdcc1ba40a82b%7C0%7C1%7C637377952714684109&amp;sdata=UpttTuRsS73UcTEwAHPzjmJVBKm%2FXSMgN3akBp9rir0%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">encouraging customization</a> and <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2018/grab-something-good-food-and-snacks-at-starbucks/" target="_blank">providing delicious ways</a> for customers to decide what’s best for them, starting Mar. 2, Starbucks iced teas will now be made unsweetened as part of the standard recipe (starting at 0 g sugar and 0 calories for black, green and passion teas). Customers will be able to select the level of sweetness by adjusting the pumps of cane sugar at no additional charge. To customize the level of sweetness when ordering iced tea beverages in the <a href="https://www.starbucks.com/rewards/mobile-apps?utm_source=google&amp;utm_term=starbucks%20coffee%20app&amp;utm_campaign=SR+-+Brand+-+SR+APP+-+Exact&amp;utm_medium=cpc">Starbucks app,</a> customers can select “sweeteners” within the beverage recipe page.

Celebrating 50 Years of Starbucks

Starbucks 50th Anniversary Merchandise Collection

Starbucks 50th Anniversary Merchandise Collection launches with limited-edition merchandise featuring Starbucks iconic Siren to celebrate Starbucks heritage while looking boldly to the future. The collection includes:&nbsp;

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Anniversary Blend Whole Bean Coffee

Starbucks first offered Anniversary Blend in 1996 in celebration of the company’s 25th anniversary, and since then it has become an annual favorite. This year the celebration continues with Starbucks 50th anniversary with this bold blend sourced exclusively from Indonesia. In addition to being available for purchase as a whole bean coffee, Anniversary Blend will be offered as the dark roast brew in most Starbucks stores March 8 – 14.

Starbucks Spring At-Home Coffees

Starbucks Honey &amp; Madagascar Vanilla Flavored Coffee and Starbucks Spring Day Blend

If you’re looking to ring in the spring season at-home, Starbucks is introducing two new at-home coffees, available for a limited time only in the spring at grocery stores nationwide. Starbucks® Honey &amp; Madagascar Vanilla Flavored Coffee combines the flavors of subtly sweet honey and rich Madagascar vanilla, and Starbucks® Spring Day Blend is a unique blend of black coffee from Africa and Latin America, with notes of rich cocoa and lush dried fruits.&nbsp;

Please see&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/sh/nu0t04ub0tom8xe/AAAoelm2go4fEY3-TvKNdHt7a?dl=0">here</a>&nbsp;for more information and for a full suite of assets Starbucks spring launch.

Spring comes to Starbucks on March 2 with new menu items, including more delicious non-dairy options.

Starbucks launches new non-dairy iced shaken espresso beverages and Oatly oatmilk

Stories to inspire and nurture the human spirit

Starbucks Stories

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Starbucks Corporation

Starbucks launches new non-dairy iced shaken espresso beverages and Oatly oatmilk across the U.S.

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Starbucks new winter menu offers a range of beverages and fan-favorite foods to help customers bring in the new year with the right choices for their lifestyle and taste preferences. Beginning January 5, customers can enjoy the new Honey Almondmilk Cold Brew, Pistachio Latte, Kale and Portabella Mushroom Sous Vide Egg Bites, and Earth Cake Pop as well as celebrate the return of the Honey Almondmilk Flat White and Red Velvet Loaf. 

There are several convenient and safe ways to cozy up Starbucks new winter menu line-up. Customers can use the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.starbucks.com%2Fcoffeehouse%2Fmobile-apps&amp;data=04%7C01%7CAlli.Colzani%40edelman.com%7C93fb93888d7641d57aee08d88c0d4a4f%7Cb824bfb3918e43c2bb1cdcc1ba40a82b%7C0%7C0%7C637413336058558628%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=K5nsLlD%2BGQfqm2wuRaelymlD2cY%2Byqcfl%2FaKBI%2Fu5dM%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Starbucks app</a> to locate a store, view store hours, order ahead and use contactless payment, and determine the most convenient pick-up option, including: in-store, at the door, drive-thru, and curbside pickup where available. Those looking for Starbucks without leaving home can place an order for delivery through <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://delivery.starbucks.com/" target="_blank">Starbucks® Delivers</a> via Uber Eats (check the Uber Eats app for availability and restrictions).

Honey Almondmilk Cold Brew

Cold coffee and cold beverages continue to be a hot trend at Starbucks. This non-dairy beverage is made with slow-steeped Starbucks® Cold Brew, combined with honey and then topped with almondmilk for a creamy finish.*

Sweet flavors of pistachio pairs with Starbucks® Signature Espresso and steamed milk and then finished with a salted brown buttery topping for a cozy beverage crafted to comfort.* The Pistachio Latte can also be ordered as a blended beverage or iced. <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2021/get-a-taste-of-the-starbucks-reserve-roastery-with-new-pistachio-latte/">Learn more</a> about the inspiration and creation behind this seasonal treat.

Honey Almondmilk Flat White

This flat white intentionally pairs almondmilk and Starbucks® Blonde espresso with honey, making a perfect amount of creamy, nutty sweetness. Customers looking for more non-dairy milk choices rejoice as this tasty treat is part of Starbucks permanent menu.

Kale and Portabella Mushroom Sous Vide Egg Bites

Delicious chopped kale and portabella mushrooms delicately folded into cage-free eggs with Monterey Jack cheese and cooked using the French “sous vide” technique resulting in a velvety texture bursting with flavor. Joining the menu permanently, this delightful high-protein breakfast has 15 grams of protein and is under 250 calories.

Rich chocolate cake, dipped in a blue chocolaty icing and finished with green and white sprinkles to resemble the earth, a globe of goodness.*

Delicious vanilla cake swirled with classic red velvet cake and topped with a white chocolaty icing—a sweet spot of red velvety-yum.*

Enjoy Starbucks most extraordinary coffees at home

Starbucks Reserve Whole Bean Coffee

Starbucks Reserve® coffees are hand-selected seasonally from family farms and pioneering cooperatives. We roast them daily at our Starbucks Reserve® Roasteries to unlock exceptional, transportive flavors. This winter we are introducing two exquisite Starbucks Reserve whole bean coffees to 3,200 company-operated stores in the US, offering customers greater access to these exceptional coffees. The <a href="https://traceability.starbucks.com/#/roasts/11122192">Starbucks Reserve Guatemala Huehuetenango</a> &nbsp;(pronounced “way-way ten-ango”) is rich and elegant with notes of candied orange, dark chocolate, and graham cracker, and the <a href="https://traceability.starbucks.com/#/roasts/11119030">Starbucks Reserve® Ethiopia Yirgacheffe® Chelelektu</a> (pronounced “yirg-uh-chef chel-el-eck-too”) features delicate floral aromas and sparkling acidity with raspberry and tangerine notes. Use the Starbucks app to find a store near you that carries the Starbucks Reserve whole bean coffees.*

*Menu items are available starting January 5 and throughout the winter season while supplies last.

Starbucks Kale and Portabella Mushroom Sous Vide Egg Bites, Pistachio Latte, and Honey Almondmilk Cold Brew

Starbucks winter menu includes delicious new offerings and returning favorites to start the new year.

Starbucks introduces new beverages and food to usher in 2021

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At Starbucks, we offer a variety of menu items that give customers choices that fit their lifestyle from season to season. From hearty breakfast options to refreshing iced teas, this fall be sure to try Starbucks food and beverage items, available in stores and where groceries are sold.

Starbucks <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2020/psl-and-all-your-fall-favorites-are-back-at-starbucks/">fall menu favorites returned August 25</a>, including the iconic Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL). Like all beverages at Starbucks, you can <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2020/customizing-beverages-at-starbucks-stores-2/">customize your PSL</a> so it’s just as perfect as you. Here are some of the ways customers can enjoy their PSL:

You can learn more about the 170,000+ ways to customize your beverages at Starbucks <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/uploads/2020/08/Starbucks-Beverage-Health-and-Wellness-Fact-Sheet-August-2020.pdf">here.</a>

Teavana® Wellness Craft Iced Teas

New to the grocery aisle this year are ready-to-drink <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2020/teavana-introduces-new-tea-flavors-in-the-grocery-aisle-just-in-time-for-summer/">Teavana Wellness Craft Iced Teas</a>. Made with the finest teas and botanicals, these delicious iced teas feature ingredients like ginger, turmeric and peppermint. Plus, all three flavors are 45 calories or less! Find them at a retailer near you <a href="https://www.teavana.com/where-to-buy/">here</a>.

Grilled Chicken &amp; Hummus Protein Box

With 22 grams of protein, the&nbsp;Grilled Chicken &amp; Hummus Protein Box&nbsp;includes a tender and juicy sous vide grilled chicken breast paired with roasted red pepper hummus and naan bread, baby carrots and snap peas.

Egg White &amp; Roasted Red Pepper Sous Vide Egg Bites

Made with cage-free egg whites prepared using the French "sous vide" technique, Monterey Jack cheese, spinach and fire-roasted red peppers, this high-protein breakfast is under 200 calories and both delicious and convenient.

Hearty Blueberry Oatmeal

A warm, hearty blend of rolled and whole-grain steel-cut oats, topped with blueberries and a medley of fruit, seeds and nuts, and finished with a touch of agave syrup. This breakfast is a great way to incorporate fruits and fiber-rich whole grains into a meal.

Find more information on Starbucks diverse menu of high-quality food for breakfast, lunch and snacking <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2018/grab-something-good-food-and-snacks-at-starbucks/">here.</a>

Slip into fall with flavorful Starbucks beverage and food choices to fit every lifestyle - Starbucks Stories

Slip into fall with flavorful Starbucks beverage and food choices to fit every lifestyle

Enjoy our fall menu options, including iced teas and hearty breakfast items, or add a touch of pumpkin spice to your favorite beverage.

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Corinne Crane laughs now, a pained and tired laugh, thinking about how she put away money for retirement and her kids’ college fund. She remembers being a “food snob” and throwing food away just because she didn’t like it. 

But that was before her divorce. She had a hard time finding work and she needed to stay home anyways with her two young autistic sons. She ended up in a toxic living situation with roommates who stole her groceries. And before long, her savings were gone.

“Life kind of brings you down a few notches,” said Crane, 37. “I cry a lot more. I feel very frustrated sometimes. I guess I feel very unprepared. I didn’t see this coming.” 

Today, Crane and her boys, 10 and 6, are starting over in a one-bedroom apartment in Veterans Village in Las Vegas, which provides housing, food and other services to veterans and their families. Crane’s ex-husband was in the Navy.

As she wrestles with her past and tries to figure out the best path forward, chief among her day-to-day concerns is this: What do I feed my boys? 

Starbucks FoodShare program is helping answer that question. FoodShare, which launched in 2016 in partnership with Feeding America, packages eligible unsold food every evening, and delivers the meals to non-profits around the U.S., including Veterans Village. Every morning, people line up starting at 6 a.m. for sandwiches, salads, hard-boiled eggs, fruit, yogurt cups and pastries. 

Starbucks has a goal to rescue 100 percent of the unsold food available from its more than 8,000 U.S. company-owned stores by the end of 2020. Currently around 60 percent of stores participate, said Laura Olson, director of global social impact for Starbucks.

To date, more than 20 million meals have been donated through the program. Each of those meals represents a person who didn’t go hungry that day, said Olson.

“Knowing that our surplus food, that would otherwise go into the garbage, is feeding a family or child or veteran is incredibly satisfying, especially knowing that our partners across the country make it happen,” she said.

“We as a country have a perception of our prosperity that doesn’t make room for the reality of the struggle that many of our neighbors have,” said Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, chief executive officer of Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger relief organization. 

Feeding America, a nationwide network of 200 food banks and 60,000 pantries, meal programs and soup kitchens, partners with Starbucks to connect FoodShare donations with local food banks and people who need them. Two million people volunteer with the non-profit. 

One in nine Americans struggle with hunger, Babineaux-Fontenot said, including approximately 11 million children and 5 million senior citizens. “There is not one county or parish in this country that does not have food insecurity inside of it,” she said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 

Arnold Stalk, the founder of Veterans Village and the son of a World War II Navy veteran, also said many who are homeless or in need are invisible. “People who are couch surfers or living in their cars or trucks, that number is indefinable,” he said.

Stalk created Veterans Village in response to a request from a veteran: his dad, who had served in the Navy during World War II. &nbsp;The two were talking shortly before his father died seven years ago and, “he said ‘I don’t like the way our veterans are being treated. We don’t show the respect to them they deserve. We have award ceremonies, but are we OK with our veterans sleeping on our streets?’”

Then he asked Stalk, who worked in architecture planning and redevelopment, to do something about it.

Today, Veterans Village has five campuses open in Las Vegas with plans for three more, so veterans and their families will have a safe place to live and enough to eat. 

“The thought of a veteran in the morning eating (donations of) Starbucks food … that is a miracle to me,” Stalk said.&nbsp;

Food affects every aspect of life

Babineaux-Fontenot, of Feeding America, learned about food insecurity early on while growing up in Opelousas, La. In the fall of 1963, her mother, Mary Alice Babineaux, heard about two children in a neighboring town suffering from neglect and abuse. She drove over, picked them up and brought them home, beginning a remarkable decades-long legacy of service to children in need that ultimately ended with 108 children – by birth, adoption and foster care – being a part of the Babineaux home.&nbsp; 

“Through that prism, I was able to see very directly the impact that a lack of access to nutritional food has on people, the impact it had on the frail bodies of my siblings as they joined my family,” Babineaux-Fontenot recalled. “I also was able to witness the impact that consistent access to nutritious food had on their bodies, and not just their bodies, but their brains and spirits. I watched siblings blossom upon receiving that access.

“It’s a truth I’ve known my whole life,” she said. “I’ve never existed without an awareness of what hunger actually looks like right here in America and the impact food has on people.”&nbsp; 

Being hungry is about much more than an empty stomach. Not having enough to eat is also associated with disease, fatigue and poor mental health. Hungry children suffer at school and are more likely to be hospitalized, research shows. And with many Americans living paycheck to paycheck, they might need to make hard choices around competing priorities like food, rent, insurance, bills and medication. 

Crane had once traveled the world as a military spouse before she arrived at Veterans Village. Her husband worked aboard submarines. She spent time all over the U.S. and Madagascar. She was used to the lifestyle; she was born in Arizona in a military family. 

She decided to homeschool her children, which meant she could take care of their special needs herself. But it left her without much job experience. She didn’t have much of a support network. Crane is working with a Veterans Village case manager now, trying to acquire some computer skills and navigate social services.

“The stuff that Starbucks sends is critical in my household,” she said. “I imagine it’s got to be critical in other households too.”

More than a chocolate croissant

Connecting people with the food they need is the point of FoodShare, Olson said. “This is food clients may not otherwise be able to afford, whether it’s in a backpack for lunch or heading off to work and they need to take something with them.”

Shortly after the program began, she said, Starbucks received a letter from a woman who had been married with children, leading a comfortable life. She used to take her children to Starbucks once a week for a chocolate croissant to have some special time with them. Her circumstances changed and she had to quickly leave her husband and home. She was living with her children in transitional housing and felt so sad that she was unable to give her kids a sense of normalcy, she wrote. But then one day at the shelter’s cafeteria, she saw the Starbucks FoodShare donations come in – including chocolate croissants.

“That day she was able to sit with her kids in the cafeteria and have that moment together again,” Olson said.

Olson said she often thinks of all of the people involved in getting a meal to someone in need. She thinks of how the idea for the FoodShare program came from Starbucks partners who wanted to find ways to donate unsold food at the end of the day. And she thinks of how Feeding America made it possible for the food to be collected and distributed.

“Without that simple act of Starbucks partners packaging up unsold food at the end of each day for donation, those 20 million meals would not be served and would not benefit our communities,” she said.

Feeding America estimates that about 72 billion pounds of edible food is thrown away every year, not including household waste. This year, the organization rescued and redistributed approximately 3.6&nbsp;billion pounds of food to those in need. The number is so vast it seems hard to fathom. 

But Babineaux-Fontenot, of Feeding America, believes the problem is solvable. She’s encouraged by emerging leaders who expect to do good in the world; productive relationships with companies around resources, time and thinking; and a vast network of big-hearted people working on different parts of the problem. 

“It’s easy to think, ‘There’s no way I can possibly do anything about that. It’s too big. It’s too complex,’ ” said Babineaux-Fontenot. “Yes, you can. Yes, you can. And you won’t be alone.” 

20 million people fed through Starbucks FoodShare program - Starbucks Stories

20 million people fed through Starbucks FoodShare program

Starbucks has a goal to rescue 100 percent of the unsold food available from its more than 8,000 U.S. company-owned stores by the end of 2020.

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When school is out, the hunger gap opens for too many children who rely on subsidized meals at school. Twelve million children in the United States don’t have enough to eat, but Starbucks is striving to help change that by funding mobile pantries that bring free, fresh food into communities.

All she wanted was to check out a book on dragonflies. 

Kirsten Casteel was 12 when her science class was assigned to research bugs. She chose dragonflies as her topic and went to the school library to learn more. At least she tried. Her class was on the first floor; the library was on the second. And, on that day, shortly before summer began, she was so tired the stairs between seemed insurmountable. 

“I remember taking one step and then feeling like I couldn’t lift my leg high enough to get it up the next step. So, I sat down,” she said. 

What almost no one knew was that at home, she didn’t have enough to eat. And without fuel, she didn’t have any energy. 

At an early age, Casteel knew what no child should have to know – that real hunger wasn’t just a growling stomach, that it deepened into an ache, and that once the gnawing in your stomach subsided, it caused your head to ache, your mind to slow and turned into an exhaustion that settles all the way into your bones. Sometimes it can cause you to pass out. Other times it feels like your heart is pounding out of your chest.

It hadn’t always been that way. Casteel, a Starbucks store manager in San Antonio, Texas, remembers an early childhood with a vibrant family. But when she was 7, her mother, Carole, died of a brain tumor, leaving three young girls and a husband who was so distraught that he fell into a deep depression and soon left his career in the military. After that, money was always tight.

During the school year, the three girls could get free meals at school. But on the weekends and the summers, they were on their own. “For most kids, summer was a great thing,” she said. “But for us, we didn’t know where we’d eat.”

That’s the case for too many children across America. One in six children in the United States doesn’t have enough to eat, <a href="https://www.feedingamerica.org">according to Feeding America</a>, a national hunger-relief non-profit organization. And, when summer arrives, many who rely on free or reduced lunches at school are left not knowing where the next meal is coming from.

Food bank trucks loaded with fresh produce and more that go into communities to give food away, called mobile pantries, are helping to fill that gap and feed some of the more than <a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/key-statistics-graphics/#foodsecure">40 million people in the United States who face hunger</a>. That number that includes 12 million children and 5 million seniors.

“I always tell people, don’t focus on the number, focus on the need,” said Rudy Valencia, director of the <a href="https://www.shfb.org/">Second Harvest Food Bank</a> in Manteca, Calif.

A year ago, Second Harvest launched its mobile pantry program, which is designed to meet people where they are. Multiple times a week, the truck goes to schools and other places in the community where people can select fresh fruits and vegetables as well as other items.

“This morning we had 250 people at the first location and then 167 at the second,” Valencia said. Each person in line often represents three or four more people at home, he said. As with many food banks, funding is always a concern. 

To help meet that need, Starbucks is investing $1.5 million in mobile pantry programs for 17 food banks around the country. Some of the food banks currently have mobile pantries and the funding will help support them and allow them to do more deliveries. Others will be getting their first mobile pantry trucks.

“It was such a relief to find out (about the Starbucks donation),” said Valencia. “It gives us the green light to help the program keep going.”

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Starbucks is committed to helping feed the hungry through donations, said Jane Maly, senior manager leading the Starbucks FoodShare program. In the past three years, the company has partnered with Feeding America to give away 15 million meals through <a href="https://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/community/foodshare">FoodShare</a>, which donates unsold, nourishing food from Starbucks stores to local food banks, including Second Harvest.

But the company wanted to do more, said Maly. So, she started asking food banks a simple question: What would you do if you had unlimited resources? 

For many, the answer was to bring food to the people who need it most – and meet them where they are at – through mobile pantries.

Maly said she sees it as part of a ripple effect. “The foundation is FoodShare – donating our own surplus food. Next, we invest in food banks’ infrastructure and building capacity. Then, how do we start using food banks as community hubs?” she said. “With each ripple, the impact gets a little bit bigger.” 

Many of the food banks are in so-called food deserts, areas without access to a grocery store – and many residents have no real way to get to one. For those living in poverty without access to a car or bus, even getting to a food bank can be an insurmountable obstacle.

“There is a lot of hunger in our town – and in the country – that people just don’t realize,” said Jay Simmonds, assistant superintendent in the Ceres Unified School District in California’s Central Valley. There, 80 to 85 percent of the 14,000 students in the district eat subsidized meals, he said. 

“People will come to school and they don’t look poor. They are dressed in clean clothes. It’s doesn’t jump out that they are hungry and a lot of times they are.”

‘Have you eaten breakfast?’

Before Casteel’s mom got sick, they used to play games of “let’s pretend.” She and her daughters would pretend they were best friends going on an adventure – sometimes as astronauts headed into space. Other times they’d draw or paint. When her dad was deployed, the three girls would rotate taking turns sleeping in their mom’s bed with her.

Before she died, Casteel’s mom made a last request of her: to watch out for her sisters. “I did my best to make sure they had what they needed,” Casteel said.

Sometimes at home, she’d lead them in a game of pretend, like they once did with their mom. They’d take whatever food they could find and imagine it was a grand meal. “We’d take a can of beans and squish it on some bread and call ourselves master chefs,” she said. 

She made sure that her sisters didn’t skip any of the free meals offered at school – breakfast and lunch -- since they didn’t know if there’d be much to eat at home. School was their respite. 

Before her mom died, Casteel remembers happily playing outside all summer. After, she’d try to stay inside because the heat would drain her and she’d pass out. In hindsight, she says, she realizes it’s because she didn’t have enough to eat.

She thinks about the difference a mobile pantry would have made in her life. “It would have had a really big impact for me and my sisters. We would have been able to think, ‘We’re hungry and this is available and let’s get something to eat.’”

Simmonds, the assistant school superintendent, said having access to mobile pantries comes down to one thing for the families in his district. “It means health,” he said. “Things are tenfold better when kids are fed. When you don’t feed kids, they are slow and their brains aren’t working. When you’re hungry you don’t think about anything else.”

Kids who don’t have enough to eat are more likely to likely to face developmental delays, repeat a grade in school and have social and behavioral issues, according to Feeding America. 

“We see a lot of kids where when they act out the first question you ask is ‘have you eaten breakfast,’ and many times they haven’t, said Simmonds.

Two years ago, Simmonds was able to secure federal funding to provide meals to school kids even during the summers. Now, with Second Harvest’s mobile pantry going to schools, their parents can also get groceries for them to eat at home.

Before that, he sometimes saw kids dropping out of school to get a job and help earn money so the family could buy food.

Feeding families helps end that cycle, said Maly. “One of the things we really care about is how can we get to the root of the issue and nip it. If kids’ bellies are full, they can learn, graduate and go on to get jobs.”

Many of the families Second Harvest serves are the working poor or people who have experienced a reversal in circumstances, Valencia said. “For whatever reason, the money just doesn’t stretch far enough.” 

After Anna McCuistion, 61, pays her essential bills, she’s left with $100 a month to cover food, gas for her car and personal items. “When I go grocery shopping the money doesn’t go very far,” she said. “At times I have to buy medications.”

For years before she became a client of Second Harvest, she was a volunteer fund-raiser for the food bank. A few years ago, she was diagnosed with leukemia. Now McCuistion, 61, lives on a fixed income and is limited on what she can eat. A friend persuaded her to start going to the mobile pantry. “Healthy food is so expensive,” she said. “But the food (from the mobile pantry) fills my refrigerator. There’s fresh fruit and vegetables. I have better choices.”

Having healthy options – and knowing someone has their back – is the whole point of the food pantries, said Valencia. 

“You’ll see a dad standing in line and you give him 50 pounds of groceries and it’s like someone has lifted 25,000 pounds from his shoulders,” he said. “We are meeting people where they are at.”

Today, Casteel is a mother herself to a 2-year-old daughter named Annora. She went to college and is thriving as a store manager. Just as she spent her childhood helping look out for her younger sisters, she does the same now for the partners working in her store. She’s proud of the food her store donates through FoodShare and she’s committed to advocating for those who are hungry, as she once was. 

She didn’t always know where to turn for help as a child. But it shouldn’t always be a child’s responsibility to ask; as a community, we have to find ways to take care of those in need, she said. 

“A lot of times children might not complain or say they are hungry – but it’s our job as adults to make sure each child has enough to eat,” she said. “It’s important to be aware. I want people to know if you need help to ask for it. And if you can help, reach out.”

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When summer means hunger, mobile food pantries help close the gap - Starbucks Stories

When summer means hunger, mobile food pantries help close the gap

Twelve million children in the U.S. don’t have enough to eat, but Starbucks is striving to help change that by funding mobile pantries that bring free, fresh food into communities.

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Updated March 2023

Starbucks offers a diverse menu of high quality food for breakfast, lunch and snacking. Our food menu is designed to reflect a range of choices from wholesome to indulgent, which allows customers to make nutritional choices that are right for them. 

To help guide our customers’ decision making, the nutritional facts and ingredients for the majority of food and beverages served at Starbucks are available on <a href="http://starbucks.com">starbucks.com</a>, on menu boards in stores and in the Starbucks® mobile app.

Starbucks Food Health and Wellness Fact Sheet

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Starbucks offers a diverse menu of high quality food for breakfast, lunch and snacking. Our food menu is designed to reflect a range of choices from wholesome to indulgent, which allows customers to make nutritional choices that are right for them.

Food and Snacks at Starbucks

Grab Something Good: Food and Snacks at Starbucks

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