After hurricanes Rita and Katrina, the Foundation and Starbucks Coffee Company pledged $5 million over five years to assist in the recovery and rebuilding of the Gulf Coast. In 2005 and 2006, $2.5 million was dedicated to direct relief and recovery, including $47,500 given to ACORN Institute to match the volunteer hours of Starbucks partners and customers.Starbucks Creators of a Strong Tomorrow (COAST) Fund was created in 2007 to reach community-based organizations dedicated to rebuilding the Gulf Coast region. In 2007, 23 grants ranging from $2,500 to $10,000 were awarded. To learn more about this ongoing effort, visit www.starbuckscoastfund.com. In addition to the COAST Fund, the Starbucks Foundation helped fund the restoration and improvement of these New Orleans gathering places in 2007: New Orleans City Park, a 1,300-acre park in the city’s center, suffered extensive damage. Starbucks adopted part of the park, investing $250,000 in restoration projects including a public picnic area and the construction of a new playground. Starbucks partners volunteered to help assemble picnic tables and restore the grounds. Louisiana Children’s Museum reopened 10 months after the storm, providing a safe place where families could enjoy a sense of normalcy. The Foundation’s grant of $95,000 allowed the Children’s Museum to open on the first Sunday of each month, free to all, something never offered in the museum’s 20-year history. This grant also provided the needed funding for the continuation of “Play Power,” a literacy-based outreach program designed for communities recovering  from disaster. Each week this program reaches 1,000 to 1,500 children in devastated St. Bernards Parish.Café Reconcile is a popular New Orleans restaurant that employs and trains at-risk youth in hospitality and construction trades. A $120,000 grant helped extend food service operations at the Café. |
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