Every day, Starbucks works to enhance the well-being of every community it serves through actions and programs rooted in opportunity and inclusion. Investments in military partners (employees) -- and every Starbucks partner – is grounded in the belief that Starbucks is at its best when uplifting one another with dignity, respect, and kindness.&nbsp;

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Starbucks is honoring and recognizing those who serve this Military Appreciation Month through:&nbsp;

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Finding camaraderie, earning a college degree&nbsp;

Eric Savary loved his time in the U.S. Marine Corps. He felt proud of serving his country and reveled in the camaraderie he felt with his team. He had joined the military in 2003, only a few years after 9/11 and “there’s definitely a sense of pride in serving during that time.” He served as an infantryman and later a mechanic and was deployed to Iraq and a number of other locations, but, after 12 years, he found himself at a crossroads. He’d gotten orders to go to West Coast – while his son, Dominic, then 5 years old, lived in York, Pennsylvania, where Savary had grown up.&nbsp;

Not wanting to be apart from him any longer, he chose to end his career in the military and move home. “It was a tough decision,” he said, “but it was go to California or go and be close to my son, so I chose the latter.”&nbsp;

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Before he transitioned out, he started looking for a civilian job and, despite having been a staff sergeant E-6 with many years of mechanical experience working on helicopters, he had trouble finding a job that valued the skills he learned in the military. “I talked to other guys who got out around that time and some of them were having trouble finding jobs. I got out and I had no idea. I had no safety net.” It’s a situation all too common for veterans – and one of the reasons that Starbucks has a hiring commitment to help support veterans and military spouses as well as partnerships with organizations that help veterans transition to civilian life.&nbsp;&nbsp;

One day, Savary got a call from another veteran about a job at the Starbucks York Roasting Plant, applied and started working there. He’s now the third shift maintenance supervisor.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“Going to Starbucks, it was great,” he said. “… Starbucks has done a lot for me and my family.”&nbsp;

This month, Savary will be graduating with a bachelor’s degree in operations management from Arizona State University, through the Starbucks College Achievement Plan, a partnership with ASU that provides full tuition coverage for eligible Starbucks partners.&nbsp;&nbsp;

These days, Savary’s family includes his wife, Shara, sons Dominic and Kohan, and his daughter, Rayna. Working overnight allows him to be home in time to help get the kids off to school and daycare and then he goes to bed and wakes around the time they get home from school, he said.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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Whether he’s with his family or with his team at work, Savary said he values being able to be a support for others, just as he did during his time in the military. “I try to be my best self and help where I can help with others and family and everything else,” he said.&nbsp;

He’s found again some of that camaraderie he felt in the Marines with other veterans he works with at the plant and other partners. He credits his military foundation for helping hone his work ethic and commitment to be there for others. “I try to be present with the team, and to try to understand what frustrations they have and stuff that affects them outside of work. We understand this is work, but you’re also human. [If someone] has something going on in their personal life, to be mindful of that and follow up with them. The biggest thing is just to be present with them and to be around.”&nbsp;

Benefits that serve the military community&nbsp;

Building a network of Military Family Stores

At the new Military Family store at Yellow Springs in Frederick, Maryland, its mission is proudly declared in bold letters for all who enter, “This store is dedicated to people united by their courage to serve our country.” The Frederick Military Family Store is one of more than 100 <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2019/starbucks-military-family-stores-a-place-to-connect/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Starbucks Military Family Stores</a> across the country that serve as a hub for active service members, veterans, families and community. They also help advance veteran causes, accelerate the hiring of veteran and military spouses and bridge the civilian-military divide. Through partnerships with veteran service organizations, Military Family Stores link local veterans and their families to important resources, services and shared community.&nbsp;&nbsp;

At the dedication, district manager Tilley McMullen was presented the prestigious Patriot Award, a Department of Defense award presented to civilian employers of U.S. National Guard and Reserve service members for her support of during their training duties and possible deployments.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“It was a humbling experience to receive an award for what feels like just doing my job. I was honored to accept it on behalf of my team and look forward to having the opportunity to support even more military members and spouses through our first Military Family Store here in Frederick, Maryland. It’s a privilege to support our partners who have volunteered to serve our nation,” said McMullen.&nbsp;

This month, Starbucks will host three more Military Family Store dedications to bring together the community and celebrate their commitment to military families in Arden Hills, Minnesota; Warrensburg, Missouri; and Sumter, South Carolina.&nbsp;

Fostering connection and circles of support for our military communities&nbsp;

During Military Appreciation Month, Starbucks will partner with <a href="https://www.operationgratitude.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Operation Gratitude</a> and <a href="https://bluestarfam.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Blue Star Families</a> on a Starbucks eGift Card to drive donations to uplift military and veteran families.&nbsp;

Specifically, for every Starbucks eGift Card in the Military Appreciation Month category sold between May 1-31, Starbucks will donate $5 to be divided evenly between the two organizations.&nbsp;&nbsp;

In addition, as part of Starbucks longstanding partnership with veteran service organizations, the company is encouraging partners to engage in programming offered through both Blue Stars Families and Operation Gratitude as well as attend events hosting by the Starbucks Armed Forces Network throughout Military Appreciation Month.&nbsp;

This May, Blue Star Families is hosting 60 Military Spouse Appreciation Events in Starbucks stores in 25 U.S. states and Germany. Members of Blue Star Families will have the opportunity to nominate a military spouse to receive a $10 Starbucks eGift Card, as part of Starbucks and Blue Star Families’ “Thanks a Latte” giveaway.&nbsp;

Veteran Service Organizations by the numbers&nbsp;

To date, Starbucks has impacted 900,000+ veterans, military spouses and military communities through veteran service organizations (VSOs).&nbsp;

Year-round support for the military community&nbsp;&nbsp;

While Military Appreciation Month is just one month out of the year, Starbucks <a href="https://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/community/veterans" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">commitment to support the military community</a> is a year-round effort: &nbsp;

More about how Starbucks supports the military community can be found in <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/uploads/2023/04/2022-Starbucks-Global-Environmental-Social-Impact-Report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Starbucks Annual Global Environmental Social Impact Report (GESI)</a>.&nbsp;

Every day, Starbucks works to enhance the well-being of every community it serves through actions and programs rooted in opportunity and inclusion.

Military Appreciation Month: Starbucks commitment to serving those who serve

Stories to inspire and nurture the human spirit

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Military Appreciation Month and beyond: Starbucks commitment to serving those who serve

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Haley Herrera has been married for four years. For almost three of them, her husband has been away with the Army on overseas combat deployments and training assignments.

On one hand, she’s extremely proud. Her husband is a member of the <a href="https://www.soc.mil/USASFC/Groups/1st/1stSFGHomepage.html">1st Special Forces Group (Airborne)</a>, stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Tacoma, Wash. “You have tremendous pride in the work that your spouse does. All the things that the military has made for us – security, benefits, community,” Herrera says. “I would consider him to be our best and brightest. There’s a reason why he’s doing the job he’s doing. I can’t see him doing anything else. I wouldn’t want him to.”

On the other hand, she lives with a large amount of uncertainty. When he deployed last July – his third time – she knew he was going into an active combat situation in Afghanistan. That summer, she also took over as manager of a Starbucks store in DuPont, Wash., near the base.

“Sick, alone, nervous, with a 6-month old, excited for a new opportunity, distracted by my fear and anxiety, very real fears about something happening to him,” Herrera says, trying to describe the rush of feelings at the time. “About a month into the deployment, I found out I was pregnant. I was feeling unsure, feeling tremendous pressure to keep that all to myself. You have this preconceived notion that nobody understands.”

This May, during Military Appreciation Month, Starbucks recognizes the sacrifice and commitment made by the Herreras and all the other military families across the United States. We honor the soldiers on the front lines and the families holding down the home front.

As part of Starbucks commitment to responding to the needs of the military community, the company is partnering with <a href="https://bluestarfam.org/">Blue Star Families</a> and <a href="https://getheadstrong.org/">Headstrong</a> to support the mental health and well-being of military families and veterans. For each new <a href="https://www.starbucks.com/gift/category/military-app?utm_source=primary&amp;utm_medium=homepage&amp;utm_campaign=militaryappreciationmonth">Starbucks Military eGift card</a> activated between May 21 to June 1, Starbucks will donate $5 to Blue Star Families and Headstrong.

<a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2019/starbucks-reaffirms-its-commitment-to-veterans/">This partnership is a continuation of the company’s existing efforts</a>. Starbucks believes veterans and military families make the company better and communities stronger. In fact, Starbucks has hired more than 26,000 veterans and military spouses since 2013, far exceeding company goals. The company has also dedicated 68 Military Family Stores across the country to help support soldiers, veterans and their families. These stores are typically near military bases and are usually staffed by veterans and military family members.

‘It makes me feel a part of something’

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When Herrera took over the DuPont store last summer, she realized right away the level of deep shared understanding and unspoken support in her store community. About 90 percent of her store’s employees and customers are involved with the military – soldiers, base staff, veterans and family members.

“They knew the fears that I was having, that I hadn’t felt comfortable speaking,” Herrera says. “At that moment, I realized I need to do more to create this community for all of our partners (employees) who are feeling isolated and alone.”

She began mentoring store partners who are military spouses around career advancement. One of her store partners trained as a mental health counselor and social worker but moved with the military three times, meaning she had to recertify with a new state each time, and start yet another job search. Another partner was about to be promoted to assistant store manager in Washington state when the Army moved her and her family – with just a month’s notice – to North Carolina.

Herrera, who worked in human resources before joining Starbucks, believes military spouses can have a career at Starbucks. The company allows military spouses to transfer to other stores across the country when they’re relocated.

She also helped facilitate support groups at her store – on pause now with COVID-19 – including a mentorship group run by a retired Army officer that has been meeting for 29 years, almost every week since the store opened.

Last fall, her husband’s teammate – a close family friend – died during a combat mission. The moment was devastating, Herrera says, not only for the loss of human life, but for the way it played out with the surviving family – the stress caused by mundane discussions around paperwork and life insurance and navigating details of funeral arrangements. “It was horrible,” Herrera says. “A ton of very complex things that you would never even think about or even want to think about.”

The death reinforced the importance of her role. Herrera wants to facilitate meaningful conversations, develop programs and lead partner networks that expand on corporate initiatives and address more of what military partners are experiencing.

She also wants to directly confront the stigmas around mental health and well-being in the military community. Many reasons – not wanting to burden others, not wanting to constantly explain or justify or be vulnerable, assuming people don’t care – “cause the military community to internalize a lot of their struggles,” she says. “There’s a resistance to asking for help, to express what’s going on. (But) it’s crucial to somebody’s mental health to talk about it.”

Allyson Harasimowicz, Blue Star Families (BSF) Craig Newmark New York Tri-State Chapter Director, has moved 13 times in 25 years with the military – while raising four children. Her husband, Mike, a retired Air Force colonel, has been stationed all over the U.S. and deployed to the Middle East and Asia.

Right before one of those moves, their 18-month-old son Joshua was diagnosed with liver cancer. They arrived at a base in Missouri, with a severely sick child, not knowing a single person.

“That sounds like a real low point, but it really became one of the highest of high points,” Harasimowicz remembers. “I continually would be getting cards and notes of encouragement and meals. One person drove blood samples to a lab. It was one of the most difficult things we had to do and yet it was the most incredible camaraderie that we can say that we felt.”

Joshua, now 22 years old, is in college and completely healthy.

Harasimowicz wants to recreate those feelings of connection for other military families. BSF is a longtime partner to Starbucks and Harasimowicz has worked with Starbucks managers in the New York area – Brooklyn, Yonkers, Newburgh – to host instore hiring events, coffee connects and holiday parties for military families. She’s passed out free tickets to Broadway musicals and local museums, and organized scavenger hunts in Central Park.

During the quarantine, on Easter Sunday, BSF volunteers went shopping for a young military spouse who had just moved to the area and whose husband had deployed. She was at home with two young children, didn’t know her neighbors and was concerned about how she was going to safely get groceries.

“One of our main missions is helping our military families with that sense of belonging,” Harasimowicz says. “If you are a family that has to move every couple years, it’s hard to feel that. But we are in this life together. This COVID-19 craziness has really given that sense of, everybody is in the same boat here, and we have the same basic needs.”

If families and communities are strong, soldiers and veterans are strong too, says Mike Harasimowicz, who retired five years ago and assists his wife at many BSF events. It’s a lesson he’s learned many times as an Air Force commander: families and strong support systems help people survive crises.

“Isolation is not an option, you have to get involved,” he says. “When people become isolated, when people lose that sense of camaraderie, they are vulnerable. And that’s what we’re trying to fight. You are important, you do belong, your service is respected. Your service made a difference and we care about you.”

After he returned from his second tour of duty in Iraq, Pasha Palanker hit rock bottom. He’d suffered a traumatic brain injury caused by a rocket attack. When he was deemed medically nondeployable by the U.S. Army, he grappled with the loss of his identity after more than 12 years of service. Panic attacks and uncontrollable bursts of anger were affecting daily routines: work, family time, even just a trip to the grocery store.

“At that point, there were only two options,” Palanker remembers. “Suicide, or start the long climb out of a very dark place.”

For Palanker, an Army Master Sergeant who lives in a Washington D.C. suburb in Maryland, what made him choose the latter was his children – three young boys at the time (he now has four). Palanker’s own father had left the family when he was 6 years old, back in Moldova where he grew up. “To me, being a father, it’s a huge part of my identity,” he says. “Because of them, I gave it everything I had.”

Palanker’s mental health journey has been slow and painful, but steadily trending upward, he says. He’s now a client with Headstrong, which provides cost-free, stigma-free and confidential mental health care treatment to <a href="https://medium.com/@HeadstrongProj">veterans suffering from the hidden wounds of war</a>. Starbucks supports Headstrong’s mission to improve mental health outcomes for the military community and end veteran suicide.

“It’s so hard for soldiers and veterans to ask for help, for mental health help,” Palanker says. “Headstrong made the process so simple, then they get back to you right away, the next day, so you don’t have time to change your mind. Everyone I dealt with was so compassionate and so sensitive to my struggles. It just felt right, every step of the way.”

Born and raised in Moldova, part of the former Soviet Union and now one of the poorest countries in Europe, Palanker came to the U.S. when he was 15 years old. He settled with his mother, grandmother and little brother in North Hollywood.

“Started out in a rough neighborhood, welfare, didn’t speak English,” says Palanker, now 39. “But I would pinch myself every morning, happy to be in this country.”

Wanting to give back, he enlisted in the Army after graduating high school. By Christmas 2004, he was in Iraq, working as part of a counter IED (improvised explosive device) task force. He supported a team that would try to disarm roadside bombs or analyze scenes after one detonated.

His experiences overseas were intense. One time, he came within 10 feet of a suicide bomber. Another time, he had to go to a market after a truck bomb blew up there. Two weeks away from returning home at the end of his first deployment, in September 2005, an IED went off underneath Palanker’s feet. The explosion sent him flying 15 feet and burst his left ear drum, an injury which required three surgeries. He received the Purple Heart Medal, the first of two, the oldest military award still given to U.S. military members. &nbsp;

After his second deployment ended in 2015 – after the rocket attack – he decided to seek help. The anger and adrenaline that had helped him survive combat situations didn’t dissipate when he returned home. There were road rage incidents. He blew up at a passenger on an airplane who was kicking the chair behind him. He’d get irrationally angry at his boys when they dropped something and startled him. Increasingly, he spiraled into an unhealthy combination of guilt, isolation and alcohol.

His first session eased some of the “crushing pressure,” he says. Medication also helped, and then he started reading books on post-traumatic stress and brain injuries, which unlocked new revelations. He went through an intensive four-week in-house stay at Walter Reed Hospital, and eventually met Jessica Gada, the Headstrong therapist who is still helping him today.

“It took me five years to realize I had a problem, and it took me another five years to take it seriously,” Palanker says. “I underestimated the impact that post-traumatic stress would have on my life.”

He has strategies now – mentoring veterans struggling with mental health, taking long walks, retreating to his car when his emotions are about to spike and working out at a mixed-martial arts studio he also co-founded, called The Compound.

“I want anybody who’s struggling to know, there’s a lot that can be done,” Palanker says. “But that starts with you saying to somebody, a friend, a therapist, ‘I’m struggling.’ Once you say it, it becomes real, and once it’s real, you’re forced to do something about it. Once you say it, it’s out and it gives your friends permission to check up on you.

“I’m still struggling big time with things, but I’m in a lot better place,” Palanker says. “Now I have hope.”

When the battle isn’t over: Honoring veterans by supporting mental health - Starbucks Stories

When the battle isn’t over: Honoring veterans by supporting mental health

During Military Appreciation Month, Starbucks is partnering with Blue Star Families and Headstrong to support the mental health and well-being of military families and veterans.

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Vietnam veteran Victor Gelner found relief from decades of post-traumatic stress in an unlikely place: jumping from a plane 13,000 feet in the air. He started skydiving five years ago and soon after, so did many of his favorite Starbucks baristas who often join him in support.

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. — Victor Gelner, 82, jumps out of airplanes more often than most people buy milk.

An Army veteran, Gelner experienced decades of significant post-traumatic stress after serving in Vietnam beginning in 1962 – night sweats, flashbacks, bad dreams, hyper vigilance, irritability and even suicidal thoughts.

“They call them invisible wounds,” Gelner said. “I guess that’s what PTSD is.”

The retired Army sergeant major said a bright spot for him is his daily visit to the Starbucks Military Family Store near Fort Carson in Colorado Springs. It was there one day five years ago that Gelner overheard a couple of younger veterans discussing their own struggles with mental health, and how of all the treatments they’d tried, it was skydiving that made them feel better. Which is how Gelner, at 78 years old, found himself strapped to a skydiving instructor in a tiny plane 13,000 feet in the air about to put gravity to the test. What happened next was nothing short of lifechanging.

“When you go out of that plane and you’re freefalling at 120 miles per hour, the adrenaline – it does something to the brain. Nothing else matters in your mind. Any problems you may have, you don’t even think about them. Your whole self is looking down at that ground and then you pull the ripcord, and then the chute opens, and you’re floating. It’s so quiet,” Gelner said. 

After his first jump, Gelner felt better than he had in a long time. He stopped at Starbucks on his way to tell store manager Jennifer Roxburgh all about it. 

“You have got to try this,” he told her. She laughed. Other store partners wandered by as they spoke, and pretty soon a handful of Starbucks baristas had volunteered to jump with him. Gelner, who has now logged more than 200 tandem jumps, has skydived with his favorite Starbucks baristas several times, including this weekend in honor of Veteran’s Day.

“Skydiving makes me happy,” he said. “ I’m not the same person I was before I started.”

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Starbucks has long committed to supporting our country’s military personnel, their families and their mental health. The company has hired more than 26,000 veterans and military spouses to help ease their transition out of service, exceeding a goal set in 2013, and is committed to hiring 5,000 more annually going forward. <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2019/starbucks-reaffirms-its-commitment-to-veterans/">Read more</a> about how veterans and military spouses make our company better and our communities stronger.

Above and beyond: Baristas join 82-year-old skydiving customer - Starbucks Stories

Above and beyond: Baristas join 82-year-old skydiving customer

At 78, Vietnam veteran Victor Gelner found relief from decades of post-traumatic stress in an unlikely place: jumping from a plane 13,000 feet in the air.

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