Starbucks has always been about more than coffee. We’re committed to contributing positively and supporting others who do so. In response to the great need for humanitarian aid in Gaza, we are donating to help provide food to people who are suffering.
“We are heartbroken for all the people impacted by the situation in Gaza, and the many people at risk of hunger,” said Duncan Moir, president of Starbucks Europe, Middle East and Africa.
The Starbucks Foundation and Alshaya Starbucks are supporting World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit whose work focuses on feeding crisis-impacted communities. World Central Kitchen has been a primary disaster relief partner of The Starbucks Foundation since 2019 and, with the support of The Starbucks Foundation, has spearheaded dozens of hunger relief operations, delivering aid to impacted communities in all corners of the globe, such as Lebanon and Morocco.
As a result of ongoing conversations, The Starbucks Foundation and Alshaya Starbucks committed to providing the equivalent of 1 million meals to people in need in Gaza through a joint donation of $3 million to World Central Kitchen in March. To expand our support from the region, Alshaya Group and Starbucks EMEA have also launched a partner (employee) donation matching initiative aimed at raising additional funds for food aid in Gaza through World Central Kitchen.
We grieve with World Central Kitchen’s team in Gaza and their families around the world. As the organization takes the time to reevaluate when its operations will resume in the region, our commitment remains unwavering. We will continue to stay close to World Central Kitchen to ensure they have the resources for their humanitarian mission to proceed.
Mohammed Alshaya, Executive Chairman, Alshaya Group, said, “We are deeply saddened by the mass tragedy that is unfolding in Gaza, and our hearts are with all the people affected. We are committed to supporting our local communities and our partners and, inshallah, through these donations we will provide aid and relief to the people of Gaza.”
The Starbucks Foundation is the company’s charitable giving arm that strives to positively impact people and communities by supporting nonprofit organizations in partnership with Starbucks partners, licensee partners and others.
As one of Starbucks biggest and longest standing licensed partners across the world, Alshaya Group has operated Starbucks in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region since the opening of its first store in Kuwait in 1999.
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