Starbucks has begun a new program to help military veterans, using a branch in San Diego as the pilot site.
The store has been designated the chain’s first “military family store,” which means a portion of its revenues will be donated to The Mission Continues, a charitable organization that helps vets leaving the service to find jobs and community support. The first one is near Camp Pendleton, the largest U.S. Marine Corps training facility on the West Coast.
The unit was chosen in part because its employee roster includes two Marines, a Navy machinist, and the spouses of two service members, Starbucks said.
The program is the next generation of a program that Starbucks began earlier called Community Stores, where a portion of revenues are channeled to various support services for military veterans. The new effort is more scalable, the coffee chain said.
Starbucks has committed to hiring at least 10,000 veterans and military spouses by 2019.
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