Starbucks Is Giving Free Coffee to First Responders
It’s been an unimaginably, agonizingly brutal stretch of time for anyone remotely involved in dealing with COVID-19. That goes for not only doctors and nurses, but also paramedics, health care workers, and anyone else remotely putting themselves in harm’s way against an unseen enemy. To say the least, they’re going to need a whole lot of caffeine to keep going with their stressful and exhausting work.
Thankfully, Starbucks has stepped up to provide a ton of free coffee for the first responders who need it most at a time like this. Between now and May 3 (maybe we’ll be outside again by then?), personnel like police officers, firefighters, paramedics, nurses, doctors, medical/hospital staff, and even medical researchers can claim a tall hot or iced coffee from Starbucks for $0.00. In addition, the Starbucks Foundation will donate a total of $500,000 to Direct Relief and Operation Gratitude, two charities supporting those doing the noble work of facing the crisis head-on.
Despite the offer, it might be a little harder than normal for said first responders to find an open Starbucks. The company has temporarily closed some of its locations, and those that remain open are only taking to-go orders. Luckily for out of work employees, Starbucks has committed to paying all of its employees for 30 days, regardless of whether they can come into work or not. One would at least hope that the odd Starbucks near a hospital is still taking orders.
If your work is non-essential, then by all means you should use this as an opportunity to figure out how to finally make the perfect cup of coffee at home. But for those who have no choice but to keep trying to save lives amid COVID-19, the caffeine is there if you need it. Here’s hoping Starbucks eventually bumps up that free coffee to a larger size, though.
