Awards

IU Indianapolis Spirit of Philanthropy Award - 2012

About Starbucks

From its Seattle beginnings in the 1970s, Starbucks has proved a leader in customer service, corporate social responsibility, and ethical business practices. Starbucks set out to create a different kind of American coffeehouse experience - one that sought to emulate Italian coffee culture. To that end, Starbucks has created a sense of community, a place between work and home where patrons can enjoy coming together in conversation. Starbucks has been a corporate leader in ethically sourcing its coffee to ensure stability of farmers and sustainability of the environment. The company's environmental stewardship is matched by its community involvement. In Indianapolis, this commitment to community has led to a working partnership between Starbucks and IUPUI.

In addition to keeping thousands of students, staff, and faculty awake across all IU campuses, Starbucks has been an important partner of many of the IUPUI Center for Service and Learning's engagement events on the IUPUI campus. As a strong supporter of community engagement, Starbucks encourages its employees to give back through service to the community. Starbucks is a key supporter of the annual IUPUI Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. In 2012, Starbucks made a generous financial contribution to support the event, contributed coffee for 480-plus volunteers, and provided the opportunity for more than 50 Starbucks employees to volunteer that day at a local community agency.