Starbucks at Crossplex opened Fall of 2018. Photo by Pat Byington for Bham Now

Earlier this week, Points of Light, the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service, and The Starbucks Foundation chose Birmingham as one of 20 communities nationwide to be a part of the Starbucks Foundation Service Fellows Program.

Nationally, 100 Starbucks partners (employees) will be chosen by Points of Light as Fellows. They will then be assigned to one of the 20 cities in the program to provide day-to-day support to local nonprofit organizations.

Hands on Birmingham – a member of the Points of Light Global Network will host the Starbucks Service Fellows locally in the Birmingham region.

Birmingham Alabama — Volunteers at the Turkey Creek Nature Preserve Cleanup – Photo by Hands on Birmingham

“Each Starbucks store is part of a community, and we’re committed to strengthening the neighborhoods we serve,” says Virginia Tenpenny, executive director of The Starbucks Foundation. “We believe service goes hand in hand with our mission to inspire and nurture the human spirit, one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time. This program is an evolution of Starbucks long-standing commitment to serving our communities, year-round.”

Additional cities chosen for the program include, Nashville, Atlanta, New Orleans, St. Louis, Philadelphia and of course Seattle.

Interest in Birmingham

Inside Starbucks Crossplex. Photo by Pat Byington for Bham Now

Starbucks has shown a deep interest in the Birmingham area over the past year.

This past fall, the company located its first Community Store in Alabama and 11th nationwide. The Community Store is located at the Crossplex and is staffed with a team of 30 Starbucks employees, all of whom are from Ensley and the 5 Points West area.

Starbucks also partnered with The Dannon Project in Birmingham to launch a retail and life skills training program for local youth, using a specially designed classroom space within the new store, according to the Birmingham Times.