Starbucks supports Vocational Rehabilitation Centre for the Handicapped as part of global month of service

Press release

Published June 18th, 2015 - 05:03 GMT

During the event

Starbucks partners (employees) and customers have celebrated Starbucks’ fourth annual Global Month of Service by renovating facilities at the Vocational Rehabilitation Centre for the Handicapped.

The 148 Starbucks partners and customers spent a total of 1,076 hours assisting at the centre, where they renovated workshop rooms and management offices and upgraded machines.

The Global Month of Service is part of Starbucks’ company-wide commitment to help create flourishing neighborhoods wherever it does business. Held every April, the initiative invites partners and customers to roll up their sleeves and participate in community service projects that help create positive and sustainable change. The Vocational Rehabilitation Centre renovation was one of the many projects carried out across the region, reinforcing Starbucks’ commitment to making its local communities stronger.

Commenting on the Global Month of Service activities, Regional Communications and CSR Manager for Starbucks MENA, Rana Shaheen, said: “For the fourth consecutive year, Starbucks partners set out to give back to the community and make a real difference in the lives of people who need it the most. It is an inspiring and rewarding month that we look forward to developing in the years to come. By renovating the facilities at the Rehabilitation Center, we were able to directly impact 300 people with disabilities.”

This year’s Global Month of Service saw more than 882 Starbucks partners, 244 customers and 30 local suppliers volunteer a total of 7,764 hours to participate in community service initiatives across 10 different markets: Kuwait, Qatar, KSA, UAE, Oman, Egypt, Morocco, Lebanon, Jordan and Bahrain.

Background Information

Starbucks Coffee Company

Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting the highest quality coffee in the world. Today, with stores around the globe, the company is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world.

As the premier vendor of the finest coffee, Starbucks is focused on delivering the best experience to every customer at each of its locations around the world, including Kuwait, KSA, UAE, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain & Oman in the Middle East region

Starcbucks work with many communities, and is committed to providing the Starbucks Experience while respecting the local customs and tastes of each country it operates in. It is also committed to hiring locally, currently providing nearly 2700 jobs for more than 30 nationalities including Arab nationals in over 300 operating stores in the region.

Starbucks stores have been operating in the Middle East since 1999 through a licensing agreement with trading partner and licensee MH Alshaya WLL, a private Kuwait family business.