Starbucks Baristas Lead New Nationwide Effort to Donate Food
“Those feelings are hard to forget,” she said. “Nobody should go to bed hungry. It’s not okay.”
An estimated 15 million children live in households where adequate, nutritious food is limited. They’re among the nearly 50 million Americans who are struggling to avoid hunger today, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Sakima, now shift supervisor of a Starbucks store, is one of many partners (employees) who have wanted to feed people who face hunger by donating surplus food from Starbucks stores. The idea sounds simple, but food safety policies required baristas to discard salads, sandwiches and other refrigerated items after the designated expiration date even if the food could still be consumed.
Starbucks has been investing in research and quality assurance testing to develop a way to safely donate fresh food.
