Starbucks Mexico Concludes its Volunteer Year Spending a Day with Children from P.O.L.A. Foundation

• To wrap up a significant year of giving back to the community and in celebration of International Volunteer Day, Starbucks Mexico, in partnership with P.O.L.A. Foundation, hosted an event to bring happiness to 200 children suffering from complex diseases such as kidney failure, cancer, diabetes, and cystic fibrosis.

• This year, over 740 Starbucks Mexico stores participated in volunteering actions throughout the market, supporting 165 environmental projects with the help and enthusiasm of more than 1,430 green apron partners (employees).

Mexico City – Starbucks Mexico today announced its last larger-scale volunteering action of the year in collaboration with P.O.L.A. Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports children suffering from complex diseases by providing them with basic necessities and moments of joy. The event took place in Hacienda San Andrés, Naucalpan, located near Mexico City, and also marked the celebration of International Volunteer Day.

This activity is part of the Starbucks Mexico Volunteering program, an initiative born in 2011 to invite partners (employees) and customers to volunteer their time to support local communities in which the company has a presence. Over the years, the program has supported more than 3,000 volunteer projects that have had an impact on vulnerable communities and supported other organizations that seek to have a positive impact on the environment and the community.

Since the beginning, Starbucks has set out to be a different kind of company, deeply rooted in its mission to inspire and nature the human spirit – one person, one cup, one neighborhood at a time. While joining forces for those who need it most, Starbucks Mexico has implemented local actions that have a positive impact on sustainability and wellbeing in the community.

“At Starbucks, we believe in the power of volunteer efforts to improve and add value to our neighborhoods. We dedicate our time to support vulnerable communities, including helping in shelters for senior citizens, as well as supporting other organizations that seek to have a positive impact on the environment and our society at large,” said Francisco Tosso, CEO of Starbucks Mexico.

Starbucks Mexico recently celebrated its 20^th anniversary, an opportunity to celebrate and be grateful to our partners, customers, and communities – who have all been part of Starbucks journey in the market – and look to the future, to the path we want to build and to our future commitments. Throughout the year, Starbucks   Mexico has made an impact on local communities in the following ways:

• 165 environmental projects in 65 cities with over 1500 partners participating
• 5 INTEGRA conferences to raise awareness among organizations benefitting from the program. INTEGRA, which was created in Mexico in 2014, is a program between Alsea Foundation and The Starbucks Foundation that aims to jointly invest in efforts to overcome key barriers to the comprehensive development of children and youth, including school dropout and unemployment. In 2022, Alsea Foundation and The Starbucks Foundation awarded more than $315,000 to 15 organizations focused on education and employability, and Starbucks partners will volunteer with these organizations throughout the year.
• 3 partner-designed beverages benefitting local NGOs that work to preserve sea turtles in Mérida, protect the habitat of the red heron in Tamaulipas, and adopt Chinampas in Xochimilco.
• 1 Aqua Tower installed in partnership with Planet Water Foundation and The Starbucks Foundation in El Nuevo Valle, Jalisco; with Starbucks partners building the AquaTower and leading water hygiene educational activities with the students.

“In 2022 we received more than 40 volunteering Starbucks Mexico partners at the John Langdon Down Foundation, where they were able to learn about the work we have been doing for 50 years,” said Gabriela Saucedo, coordinator of the donations and outreach area of ​​the John Langdon Down Foundation, an institution that provides educational, medical and psychological care to people with Down syndrome and their families and which received a Global Community Impact Grant from The Starbucks Foundation to support job training programs. “Partners participated in an art activity with the artists of the Down Mexican School of Art, and we are grateful to them for sharing their time and making our artists smile!”

The participation of over 740 Starbucks Mexico stores throughout the market was essential and ensured that 100% of the districts remained active with different initiatives.

“We appreciate Starbucks collaboration as volunteers in community work in the chinampera area of ​​Xochimilco,” said Gabriela Alcantar López, Biologist at Umbral Axochiatl, organization dedicated to the conservation, restoration, and rescue of the lake area. “Starbucks volunteers supported a chinampero corn producer in transplanting corn, which is important to continue with the work of rescuing local seeds, increasing the cultivation of chinampero corn, and promoting crops that allow a respectful and agroecological management of the natural area resources (soil, water, biodiversity).”

As part of the volunteer actions, since 2019, Starbucks presented their Community Champion Award to those partners who have gone above and beyond by embracing their communities, leading volunteer efforts, and inspiring others to strengthen their neighborhoods through positive impact actions. Mildred Nuñez, Cancun District Manager, was the 2022 award winner, highlighting the actions she took in the face of natural disasters, beach cleanups, and engaging her partners in community service activities.

Taking care of the wellbeing of people – our partners (employees), our coffee growers, our customers, and our communities – and giving more that we take from the planet is of the utmost importance to Starbucks Mexico.