Massive peaceful protests for racial equality at the Wisconsin state capital gave way to destruction and shattered windows in a historic Madison neighborhood. As the plywood went up, one Starbucks store “in a sea of broken glass” kept serving coffee – and hope.

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As the sun rose over her beloved city and a “sea of broken glass” that stretched as far as she could see in every direction, longtime Starbucks store manager <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/sisters-and-store-managers-julie-and-colleen-campbell-inspire-each-other/">Julie Campbell</a> took a deep breath and started brewing coffee. She’d been sweeping since 3 a.m., and though the Madison, Wisconsin, Starbucks she’s managed for 15 years had no glass left in its doors or windows, she said it did not even occur to her to close.

“We’ve never not served coffee. We’ve never not served our neighborhood,” Julie said. “If there was a way, and there were partners willing to join me, I can’t imagine not.”

For several days, massive peaceful protests for racial equality at the nearby state capital had given way to destruction after dark by comparatively few. The large, two-story Starbucks with a balcony – which pre-pandemic was bustling with college students from the nearby University of Wisconsin campus – was one of many businesses hit by vandals.

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“I am no stranger to protests. I’ve been fighting for progress for my entire life,” said Campbell, who has been with her partner for 30 years but was finally able to legally marry her five years ago with the Supreme Court’s passage of marriage equality in all 50 states. “What happened on our street has nothing to do with what went on at the capital, which was peaceful protests against police violence and society having a literal and figurative knee on the neck of black and brown people for 400 years. There is no comparison.”

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Campbell and her team served coffee to news crews and other business owners. They offered coffee to police officers and protestors and the volunteers who arrived to help clean up. As crews prepared to cover the store’s window frames with plywood, Campbell and Starbucks district manager Lisa Greco had an idea. They called Michelle Kolar, a painter and shift supervisor from a nearby Starbucks.

The three women brainstormed what they hoped would be an inspiring design, and Michelle headed to a nearby hardware store to pick out some paint.

“I asked for their advice on the right kind of paint and they asked what I was doing. When I told them what I was painting and why, they donated it,” Michelle said.

Though she’s been painting since she was a kid, the plywood murals were Michelle’s biggest canvases yet. Under a large “We’re open!” banner, she got to work. She painted four, large plywood panels with words and images – love, peace, unity and a brown fist. She painted <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CA5yzLfn6I1/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link">a company message</a> about confronting racism. &nbsp;&nbsp;

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“It felt great. A lot of people stopped to chat and to ask if I actually worked at Starbucks and to ask to take pictures,” Michelle said. “Art for me has always been a release. It’s not every day you get to lose yourself in the moment and the movement. Not to be all gung-ho about Starbucks, but I am so proud to be with a company that cares and is for always standing up for what’s right.”

Michelle’s murals outside Starbucks were the first on a long street of shattered windows.

“The street is just blossoming with art now,” Michelle said. “It’s really powerful to see people turning something ugly into something beautiful.”

For Julie, it’s all a perfect metaphor.

“You have to keep moving forward. You have to keep spreading hope. You have to keep going toward what’s right. The first Pride was actually a riot at Stonewall. That was an inflection point, and I do believe this is another inflection point,” Julie said. “This is one of those moments where I think the tide is turning and change will happen.”

There can be beauty among shattered glass – and there can be coffee, she said.

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From shattered glass, Starbucks murals become first ‘blossom’ in a neighborhood rebuilding - Starbucks Stories

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Stories to inspire and nurture the human spirit

Starbucks Stories

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Starbucks Corporation

From shattered glass, Starbucks murals become first ‘blossom’ in a neighborhood rebuilding

Massive peaceful protests for racial equality at the Wisconsin state capital gave way to destruction and shattered windows in a historic Madison neighborhood.

https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/from-shattered-glass-starbucks-murals-become-first-blossom-in-a-neighborhood-rebuilding/

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This spring would have marked the 25th anniversary of Starbucks Hot Java Cool Jazz, an annual benefit concert at the historic Paramount Theatre in Seattle that’s raised more than $700,000 for local school jazz music programs.

Although it’s been canceled and rescheduled to next year because of COVID-19, the spirit of community and innovation – the spirit of music – still remains strong.

Dominic Nye, one of the students who was scheduled to perform, a senior from Edmonds-Woodway (Wash.) High School, has been putting on Facebook Live performances from his lawn every Friday night. His jazz band director, Jake Bergevin, has been putting on similar events from his deck for his neighbors on Thursdays. 

And the Garfield High School jazz band, another of the five schools that was to perform at the Paramount, recently put on this <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bgYCaootO4&amp;feature=youtu.be">virtual concert</a>, where they performed Count Basie’s Blues Backstage.

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In many ways, their efforts mirror those of other <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/9335531/coronavirus-quarantine-music-events-online-streams">musicians and artists worldwide</a>, who are finding new ways to keep community going during trying times – whether it’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBByYjjvNzs">flash mobs</a> out of windows in Italy, or master cellist Yo-Yo Ma <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/yo-yo-mas-musical-effort-to-share-songsofcomfort-amid-coronavirus">starting a project</a> called #songsofcomfort, or the original cast of the Broadway show Hamilton <a href="https://www.today.com/video/original-hamilton-cast-reunites-to-surprise-9-year-old-girl-81946693832">reuniting virtually to surprise</a> a 9-year-old super fan.

“Many have turned this obstacle into an opportunity to learn some new platforms, programs and apps to broaden their musicianship and network,” says Bergevin, director of the Edmonds-Woodway High School Jazz Band. “Supporters are hungry for jazz and fellowship, and gratitude from neighbors and community is abundant.”

The high school jazz bands that would have performed this year include Edmonds-Woodway, Garfield, Mountlake Terrace, Ballard and Roosevelt. Even though the concert had to be canceled, Starbucks will support the schools with a $68,000 donation, split evenly to each school’s jazz music program.

“Hot Java Cool Jazz is one of my favorite events of the year. I am very proud to work on a program that supports such amazing talent in our hometown of Seattle,” said June Ashley, Starbucks manager of community partnerships. “These students work so hard all year to perfect their skills and share their passion of jazz with everyone. We are so sad that our 25th&nbsp;Anniversary show had to be canceled due to COVID-19. We are looking forward to a 25th&nbsp;REDUX show next year!”

Since 1995, Starbucks Hot Java Cool Jazz has been celebrating the passion of young musicians and cultivating the future of jazz. Earlier this year, before the pandemic hit the U.S., Starbucks interviewed more than 70 jazz students, jazz band directors and local Seattle musicians.

Click through to hear their <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpQlBKOYkT8&amp;feature=youtu.be">reflections</a> on jazz and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtdspXK6I0o&amp;feature=youtu.be">the future of jazz</a>, their explanations for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgjviZO_Zyc&amp;feature=youtu.be">why they chose</a> the instrument they did and their thoughts on several other <a href="https://sbux.co/3cMgTrE">topics</a>.

Hot Java Cool Jazz: Musicians’ talent goes virtual after concert canceled - Starbucks Stories

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Hot Java Cool Jazz: Musicians’ talent goes virtual after concert canceled

Starbucks continues its support of local high school jazz music programs; Hot Java Cool Jazz 25th anniversary concert is rescheduled for next March.

https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/hot-java-cool-jazz-musicians-talent-goes-virtual-after-concert-canceled/

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Weeks into quarantine, the unexpected appearance of a “Now Open” sign at her beloved neighborhood Starbucks restored a new sense of normal and hope to one Chicago woman – and it inspired her to make some signs of her own.

CHICAGO – Six months ago, if you would have told Jackie Golab a simple sign in the window of her “favorite Starbucks in the world” would make her cry with happiness, she probably wouldn’t have believed you.

But little things mean a lot right now, including little things like the words “now open.” Like many people in the world, as the days in quarantine stretched into weeks, Jackie Golab’s daily world felt smaller and smaller with the canceling of each activity and the closing of each business in her neighborhood, including her “favorite Starbucks in the world,” which is “exactly .43 miles away” from where she lives.

“There are so many people who are infinitely worse off than I am. I’m blessed in a lot of regards,” Jackie said. “But my tiny little world, my routine – I couldn’t do anything. Every day that went by it was something else.”

She thought often about how fortunate she is, and how she needed to roll with the punches. She fashioned a mask from a stylish scarf (one that matched her sunglasses). But still, as she walked out to purchase supplies from the drug store for a virtual Easter event to replace a cancelled in-person celebration, she couldn’t help but be a little bummed about the state of things. And that’s when she saw the sign.

“I see this huge ‘now open’ sign. I never expected it,” Jackie said.

The store had opened for mobile order and doorway pick-up, but Jackie didn’t yet have the Starbucks Rewards Mobile App so she couldn’t order her regular venti Jade Citrus Mint Green Tea. Still, she was so excited, she ran back to her office at the church where she works part-time, grabbed a piece of paper and a marker, and made her own sign. It read, “I’m so happy to see all of you. I missed you. I love you. Here’s my virtual hug.”

She walked back to the store and held her sign up to the window for the Starbucks partners to see. They took pictures and everyone laughed and it was all so wonderful that Jackie decided to return the next day with another sign. And this time, she would download the app so she could order her regular drink as well. This went on until she created her final sign, her pièce de résistance – a large cardboard sign adorned with marshmallow bunnies wishing all of her “Starbucks Peeps” a happy Easter.

“We’re so cautious and nervous, everyone’s just fatigued,” Jackie said. “That one little now open sign – it created a new sense of normal for me.”

Signs of the times: One customer’s creative way to connect - Starbucks Stories

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Signs of the times: One customer’s creative way to connect

Weeks into quarantine, the unexpected appearance of a “Now Open” sign at her beloved neighborhood Starbucks restored a new sense of normal and hope to one Chicago woman

https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/signs-of-the-times-one-customers-creative-way-to-connect/

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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOe_y6KKvS3PdIfb9q9pGug">Some Good News</a> (SGN), an online news show created by actor and filmmaker John Krasinski and broadcast from his home office, started off as a delightfully DIY way to find and celebrate positive stories at a difficult time. In its first month, the show also became a global movement, with more than 4.2 million followers and a worldwide audience dedicated not just to watching good news, but to making good things happen wherever they are.

On Sunday’s episode, Krasinski announced the launch of a new online store, <a href="https://sbux.co/SGN">Some Good Merch</a>, where 100 percent of the proceeds benefit a host of good causes. He also announced a partnership with The Starbucks Foundation to provide even more impact for communities in need.

Here’s how it works: Shop for Some Good Merch, featuring items designed by the SGN community, and at checkout, pick the charity you’d like to support, and 100 percent of the proceeds from your purchase will go to that organization. Then comes the bonus round of giving – <a href="https://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/community/starbucks-foundation">The Starbucks Foundation</a> will match the first $1 million in proceeds from SGN merch sales, sending much-needed support to charities driving COVID-19 relief efforts in communities around the world, including <a href="https://www.bgca.org/">Boys &amp; Girls Clubs of America</a>, <a href="http://directrelief.org/">Direct Relief</a> and <a href="http://wck.org/">World Central Kitchen</a>.

“Throughout this SGN experience, I’ve been blown away by all the stories of good happening all around us and the ways people are supporting each other and their communities. Launching the Some Good Merch store is another way to help our audiences give back to charities helping people in need,” Krasinski said. “The Starbucks Foundation’s commitment to match $1 million makes this good news great news.”

While the <a href="https://www.somegoodnews.com/">Some Good News</a> season may have concluded, you can watch this space, <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/good-things-are-happening/">Good Things are Happening</a>, for a steady stream of positive and inspiring stories from around the world. And check out this clip from SGN Episode 8 to learn more about how SGN and The Starbucks Foundation are teaming up to support organizations making a big difference in communities around the world:

The Starbucks Foundation teams with John Krasinski’s Some Good News - Starbucks Stories

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The Starbucks Foundation teams with John Krasinski’s Some Good News

The Starbucks Foundation has teamed up with actor and filmmaker John Krasinski and his delightfully DIY show, Some Good News, to send support to charities driving COVID-19 relief efforts.

https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/the-starbucks-foundation-teams-with-john-krasinski-some-good-news/

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After Starbucks recently announced a partnership with Operation Gratitude – to help the Los Angeles-based nonprofit deliver hand-written letters and care packages to front-line responders all over the world – Starbucks partner Jesse Archambault went home and told his family.

One person who got really excited? His 11-year-old daughter, Sutton.

The 6th grader wanted to help and went to work writing her own letter featuring words of encouragement (“I would like to say, thank you very much for serving our country”) and also a few jokes (“Why do we tell actors to break a leg? Because every play has to have a cast!”). She finished off her letter with a sticker of a cat wearing sunglasses.

“I wanted to write something that would bring a little bit of joy to people who protect our country,” she said.

Sutton’s letter was part of the 2,000 pounds of care packages containing other notes of thanks, snacks, comfort items and Starbucks coffee that eventually ended up in the hands of sailors aboard a naval ship.

With a $250,000 donation from The Starbucks Foundation to support U.S. front-line COVID-19 responders, Operation Gratitude will deliver up to 50,000 care packages to first responders, health care workers and military personnel. In addition, Starbucks partners throughout the U.S. have been involved in Operation Gratitude’s <a href="https://www.operationgratitude.com/starbucks/">online letter-writing campaign</a>.

In the last month, Operation Gratitude has donated and delivered more than 2 million items to areas around the world hit hard by COVID-19, including Guam, New York City, New Orleans and Seattle. This week, they partnered with Starbucks to deliver care packages to those stationed in Daegu, South Korea, one of the areas outside China to be affected by COVID-19 in February.

“As we have all seen recently, the world can turn upside down in a matter of days,” said retired Marine Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Schmiegel, chief executive officer of Operation Gratitude. “One thing that we can always count on during a crisis is our military and first responders on the front lines. They need our help.

“Seventeen years ago, our founder sent the first four care packages to soldiers on the day the Invasion of Iraq started. Our homeland is under attack again – this time by an invisible enemy – and there are different warriors on the front lines front lines,” Schmiegel said. “It’s fitting during Military Appreciation Month for our organization, which is led by veterans and military spouses, to pay it forward. And I imagine the medical personnel and first responders who will be reading our thank you letters will appreciate it, too.”

Operation Gratitude recently received a “thank you” back, from a sailor expressing what the letters mean to those who receive them. It closed, “talking to my brothers and sisters in the military I know these letters motivate us to keep working hard for the stars and stripes and for everyone back home.&nbsp;Thank you for the support and God bless you all!”

To learn more about participating in Operation Gratitude’s letter writing campaign or conduct a letter writing drive, <a href="https://www.operationgratitude.com/express-your-thanks/write-letters/form/?tfa_871=Individual">click here</a>.

Starbucks and Operation Gratitude partner to support front-line responders - Starbucks Stories

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Starbucks and Operation Gratitude partner to support front-line responders

More than 50,000 care packages with letters of support, comfort items and coffee are being delivered to front-line responders around the world.

https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/starbucks-and-operation-gratitude-partner-to-support-front-line-responders/

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Editor’s note: On May 12, International Nurses Day, Starbucks honors nurses and other front-line workers around the world.

As the number of COVID-19 cases began to spike earlier this spring, Indonesia acted quickly to help quell the spread, restricting access to communities with outbreaks &nbsp;so that no one would be exposed by coming in or exposing others by leaving. Nurses, doctors and other first responders were not allowed to go home and were quarantined with their patients to help care for them.

They worked long hours, through their own exhaustion and risking their own health, to care for patients&nbsp; in the midst of a pandemic the world still had much to learn about. Evelyn Faustina Riadi, assistant manager of public relations, communications &amp; corporate social responsibility for PT Sari Coffee Indonesia (Starbucks Indonesia), called those areas “the battlefield.”

Evelyn and her team, along with Starbucks colleagues across Indonesia, were committed to finding ways to support and serve those on the front line.

“A thousand words of gratitude will not suffice in expressing our appreciation to nurses, doctors and first-line responders,” said Andrea Siahaan, senior general manager of public relations, communications &amp; corporate social responsibility, one of the key organizers of the local response. “All of our partners wanted to do something to show our support.”

Andrea began to brainstorm with his small team on how to help. A free cup of fresh coffee was a small gesture, but he knew it could offer a small relief to those on the front lines, and along with it, represents the encouragement of Starbucks partners across Indonesia.

Andrea and his team set out to coordinate a market-wide response, organizing and executing deliveries in the greater Jakarta area, which has the most patients, and distilling their expertise into how-to guides and toolkits for stores across Indonesia to use for their local responders.

“I wanted to make sure that everyone could&nbsp; participate and see the smiles of the nurses and frontline staff who received these drops,” he said. “I hope that partners, as well as our customers, can be inspired to even do the simplest act during difficult times like this.”

He drew on the lessons learned just a few months earlier in January when heavy rains battered Jakarta, Indonesia, and caused massive floods. More than 30 local Starbucks stores and 200 partners (employees) were in the danger zones, their homes and livelihoods at risk. Immediately, partners at the Starbucks Support Center Jakarta mobilized with district managers and store partners to help victims of the floods, organizing food and beverage donations, and volunteering to clean flooded schools and houses. Starbucks Indonesia activated its local CUP Fund (Caring Unites Partners) and deployed more than $20,000 in grants to help partners and their families recover from the flooding.

Now, partners were ready again to answer the call to serve. The logistics were carefully organized so that the partners health and well-being wouldn’t be at risk delivering coffee.

Starting in Batam, partners began delivering batches of fresh coffees to hospitals, followed closely by Jakarta, Palembang, Cirebon, Bali and 20 more cities across Indonesia. In total, the partners delivered more than 40,000 cups of coffee and food combined to first-line responders in a matter of weeks. Each cup had a personalized message written on it by a partner.

“Partners know that the responders are smiling when they read the messages on our cup,” said Andrea. “If we can offer even one bright moment in their busy day, all of this is worth it.”

It makes a difference, said Dr. Mohammad Syafak Hanung, president director at Fatmawati Central General Hospital, one of the hospitals in Jakarta designated to care for COVID-19 patients.

“Your support has showed us that we are not alone in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.

While many stores in Indonesia remain temporarily closed, partners have embraced coffee donations as a way to stay connected to their communities and to one another. While a small number of partners are involved in delivering the coffee due to safety, those working behind the scenes preparing the coffee for delivery and writing the messages are essential too, the team said.

“We were so proud to be involved in these donations,” said Evelyn. “Although we were worried at first to regularly visit the ‘battlefield’ everyday, we were then able to overcome our fear thanks to the support of our fellow partners.”

Kiki Mochamad Rizki, division manager, public relations, communications &amp; corporate social responsibility said that being able to give back felt good for the partners. “Seeing the positive feedback from the community lifted our spirits to share more kindness with others and to uplift their day.”

Anthony Cottan, chief executive officer of Starbucks Indonesia, at PT Sari Coffee Indonesia, said he’s proud of the ways partners are finding to deliver cups of kindness and care.

“Andrea and his team played a key role in enabling our store partners to make coffee drops to emergency services with confidence and care,” he said. “We are so proud of all of our partners inspiring kindness and resilience across Indonesia.

Starbucks in Indonesia brings coffee to nurses and front-line workers - Starbucks Stories

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Starbucks in Indonesia brings coffee to nurses and front-line workers

As the number of COVID-19 cases rose in Indonesia, Starbucks partners there found ways to deliver coffee and food to those on the front-lines of caring for the sick.

https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/starbucks-in-indonesia-brings-coffee-to-nurses-and-front-line-workers/

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We talk to Maya Enista Smith, Executive Director of Born This Way Foundation, about ideas for spreading kindness and showing gratitude virtually, about allowing for a roller coaster of feelings right now and about the “anti-aging” properties of caring for others.

Maya Enista Smith is a master at finding creative, thoughtful ways to show kindness and gratitude.

She is the Executive Director of <a href="https://bornthisway.foundation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Born This Way Foundation</a>, founded in 2012 by Lady Gaga and her mother, Cynthia Germanotta, with the mission of nurturing a kinder, braver world. Not only is kindness literally her job, but Maya is a master of the handwritten thank you note and the thoughtful pep talk, so who better to call for ideas on how to spread kindness virtually during this time we can’t be together?

Born This Way Foundation is working hard to break the stigma around mental health, <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/starbucks-announces-reimagined-mental-health-care-for-u-s-partners/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">as is Starbucks</a>. May is Mental Health Awareness Month and Maya prefaced our conversation with a few reminders for people:

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“I would never in my wildest dreams have thought we’d be in this situation,” Maya said, from her home in Lafayette, Calif. “But this confluence of events presents us such an unprecedented opportunity to focus on, to fund, to amplify, to support mental health (and) the importance of building a culture where we’re as proactive about building our mental health as we are in caring for our physical health.”

For Maya, maintaining a practice of spreading kindness and sharing gratitude goes hand-in-hand with her physical and mental health.

“There are tangible physical and mental benefits to kindness and gratitude. It slows your heart rate down, it helps you breathe better, it reduces stress and anxiety,” she said. “When I give speeches, I sometimes joke that I’m actually 85 because kindness has anti-aging properties, like, <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/urban-survival/201906/kindness-meditation-may-slow-biological-aging" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">on the cellular level</a>.”

Some of Mayas go-to ideas for spreading kindness and gratitude virtually right now:

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It’s a wild time, but kindness and gratitude can help - Starbucks Stories

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It’s a wild time, but kindness and gratitude can help

We talk to Maya Enista Smith, Executive Director of Born This Way Foundation, about ideas for spreading kindness and showing gratitude virtually.

https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/kindness-and-gratitude-can-help/

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Making coffee at home with a coffee press is a delicious way to enjoy its full flavor, and its four-minute brewing time is just enough to catch up with someone special.

This Mother’s Day, while many of us are apart, families are finding creative ways to be together. Raelene Goodson, a designer on the Starbucks Stories team and former barista at the first Starbucks Reserve™ Roastery in Seattle, showed her mom, Liz Goodson, in California, how to make an expert coffee press at home via Zoom during this installment of Starbucks at Home.

“This is what we usually drink when you're here visiting me, it’s a really easy way to brew coffee and a good go-to,” Raelene said to her mom. “I love that we’re doing this, even though you’re not in Seattle, we’re still having a Mother’s Day.”

Raelene and Liz are both brewing <a href="https://www.starbucks.com/menu/product/2123124/whole-bean?parent=%2Fat-home-coffee%2Fwhole-bean%2Fmedium-roast">Siren’s Blend™,</a> Starbucks newest core coffee that <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2019/women-in-coffee-sirens-blend/">honors the women who contribute to coffee’s journey</a>. And in keeping with their family tradition, they are adding a dollop of whipped cream on top.

“Siren’s Blend is a medium roast coffee and it’s so versatile,” Raelene said. “I drink as hot coffee at home, I’ve done it as cold brew. What’s nice about the whipped cream is that it'll add that little bit of sweetness to it but you can still taste the coffee.”

Lifting her mug to meet her daughter’s on screen, Liz reflected, “This is a unique year. And this is an excellent way to be enjoying coffee for Mother’s Day.”

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Here’s what you’ll need: coffee press, ground coffee, near-boiling water, and a timer.

Use coarse-ground coffee that resembles sea salt, and measure 2 tablespoons coffee per 6 ounces of water. (Here we’re using a 34-ounce, or 8-cup coffee press.)

Fill the coffee press with hot water that’s just been boiled (200° F). Make sure to saturate all the grounds.

4. Place plunger and brew

Put the lid back on the press without pushing the plunger down and let the coffee brew for four minutes.

Gently push down the plunger until it reaches the bottom of the press and pour coffee into your favorite mugs. Top with whipped cream for a special treat.

Raelene's Homemade Whipped Cream Recipe

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Starbucks at Home: Mother's Day Coffee Date - Starbucks Stories

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Starbucks at Home: Mother&#8217;s Day Coffee Date

Learn how to make the perfect cup of brewed coffee at home using a coffee press.

Starbucks at Home: Mother’s Day Coffee Date

https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/starbucks-at-home-mothers-day-coffee-date/

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Andy&nbsp;Puddicombe, co-founder of the popular mindfulness and meditation app, says how we work with our minds is more important now than ever. It’s why he started “Take Ten,” a daily mini-meditation and moment of mindfulness on Instagram Live to help people “pause together.” On Friday, Andy was joined by Camille Hymes, a regional vice president for Starbucks, and a handful of partners from a Potomac, Md., store.

“We’ve been trying to do this each day just as a way of reminding ourselves how important it is to take a little bit of time out of the day to pause and be quiet,” said Andy during the “Take Ten” session.

“Today is a perfect day to have this conversation, because May 1 is the first day of Mental Health Awareness month,” said Camille.

With one in five adults experiencing some form of mental illness each year, Starbucks continues to look for ways to break the stigma around mental health and to support its partners’ mental health and well-being. In March, the company announced its <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/starbucks-announces-reimagined-mental-health-care-for-u-s-partners/">reimagined mental health care benefits</a>, and in January offered partners in the U.S. and Canada a <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/starbucks-launches-partner-headspace-subscriptions/">free Headspace subscription</a>, giving them access to guided meditations on everything from stress and sleep to focus and anxiety. She said Headspace has been enthusiastically adopted by many Starbucks partners, both personally and in creating moments of mindfulness together at work.

“It really cleanses and settles the mind. Since we’ve been dealing with the COVID-19 experience, all of our partners and our communities are worried,” Camille said. “We recognize that, and want to make sure they have an outlet.”

Normally Instagram Live events are just that – live, but in case you missed it or in case you want to take another moment for mindfulness and meditation, you can “Take Ten” with Andy and Starbucks partners here (meditation begins at 15:50).

Starbucks + Headspace: A meditation for the right now - Starbucks Stories

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Starbucks + Headspace: A meditation for the right now

Stressed? Anxious? “Take 10” with Starbucks partners and Headspace co-founder Andy Puddicombe as they discuss the importance of mindfulness and meditation.

https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/starbucks-headspace-a-meditation-for-the-right-now/

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You’ve probably seen this cold and creamy concoction in your social feed – a frothy whipped coffee that looks as sweet as candy. Perhaps that’s why it’s often called “dalgona,” after the golden South Korean sponge toffee.

Dalgona coffee is remarkably easy to make with<a href="https://athome.starbucks.com/product/iced-coffee/?format=via-instant"> Starbucks VIA® Instant Iced Coffee</a>, a cup of milk or dairy alternative, and some ice. Andrew Vagner, designer (and former barista) on the Starbucks Stories team, will show you how to make the latest coffee trend at home.

“It’s a really fun, easy coffee drink,” Vagner said. “Typically, I do cold brew or a hot coffee on the Chemex at home, but this one's just a little bit more indulgent and also easy to make.”

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Dalgona Whipped Coffee Recipe

Dalgona coffee: Here's how to whip up the latest coffee trend at home - Starbucks Stories

https://stories.starbucks.com/uploads/2020/04/SBX20200430-Blog-SAH-Dalgona-Feature.jpg

Dalgona coffee: Here&#8217;s how to whip up the latest coffee trend at home

You’ve probably seen this cold and creamy concoction in your social feed – a frothy whipped coffee that looks as sweet as candy.

Dalgona coffee: Here's how to whip up the latest coffee trend at home

https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/dalgona-coffee-how-to-whip-up-the-latest-coffee-trend-at-home/

https://stories.starbucks.com/uploads/2020/04/SBX20200430-Blog-SAH-Dalgona-Feature-1024x498.jpg

Dalgona coffee: Here’s how to whip up the latest coffee trend at home

Starbucks partners have served more than 1 million cups of free coffee to first responders and front-line health care workers during the COVID-19 outbreak, the company announced today. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Since March 25, Starbucks has been giving out free tall brewed (hot or iced) coffees to first responders and front-line healthcare workers and will continue to do so through the end of May. &nbsp;

For many of those working long hours caring for those who are sick or in need, a cup of coffee can represent a bright spot in their day and give them a much-needed boost, some say.

Behind each cup of coffee served are Starbucks partners across the United States and Canada committed to helping show their support and admiration to those on the front lines, whether that means delivering coffee to those who need it, writing notes of encouragement to accompany each order and more.&nbsp; Here are some of their stories:

Special delivery to Washington D.C. police stations

For the last 18 months, Adam Modzel has been trying to strengthen the relationship between Starbucks and local police departments: about 100 “Coffee with a Cop” events, helping secure a grant to the Washington D.C. Police Foundation, big outreach efforts on Law Enforcement Appreciation Day.

When the pandemic hit, Adam, Starbucks regional director in Washington D.C., had to shut down 98 out of 100 stores he supervises.

Regardless, he made a commitment to keep that work going. Starbucks district managers, store managers and store partners have volunteered to brew and deliver coffee to every single D.C. Police station every afternoon for roll call. Fifty cups of coffee for each of the 11 stations. Every single day for the last four weeks.

“I’m always inspired by our partners, but this is next level,” Adam says. “They’re choosing every day to show up to serve their customers and their communities. We’ve had hundreds of partners do that. It shows how extraordinary our people are.”

Coffee with a side of snacks and encouraging notes

Last month, as the COVID-19 pandemic was closing in, Nicole Weston felt frustrated. The Starbucks store she manages in Greenville, N.C., is in a medical district, and business revolves around shift changes at the hospital. With reduced hours and moving to drive-thru only, her team wasn’t able to serve many of their regular customers – medical personnel who work late afternoons and evenings.

That’s when she overheard a conversation at the drive-thru window. A woman who works in the COVID-19 response unit at nearby Vidant Medical Center had just finished a shift, and was talking about how tired she was, and how she’d never washed her hands so many times in her life.&nbsp;

“I asked her, ‘How can I get coffee to you guys? What department has the most need?’,” Nicole recalls. The woman offered to come back a few days later to pick up coffee and supplies for her team. “Once we found out that she could pick it up and get it in the hospital, it was just like, ‘Ok, we’re in. Let’s do this.’ ”

Her team has continued to prepare and donate coffee, water, snacks and handwritten notes of thanks and encouragement.

“A couple weeks ago, I felt powerless. Today I feel empowered,” Nicole says. “People are looking for a sense of normalcy right now. Some people have been in isolation for days. Some people, their job situation has changed, or they’ve been laid off. We’re just trying to provide a little bit of that normalcy back, to let people know that we’re there for them. It’s very important at this time.”

A small act of kindness for long-term care facilities

Long-term care facilities are particularly vulnerable at this time, but the nurses who work there can feel overlooked. To ensure they felt taken care of, Starbucks store manager Maria Gaw, of Airdrie, Alberta, organized a delivery of coffee travelers to two local long-term homes.

Maria’s partner, Kayla Noordhof, is training to be a health care aide and helped her contact the facilities to ensure they would accept the token of appreciation. One of the nurses she got in touch with broke down crying when she called.&nbsp;

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