Starbucks Donates $83,500 to Second Harvest Food Bank

NEW ORLEANS – Starbucks has donated $83,500 to Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana as part of a $1 million investment to support mobile pantry programs for 13 Feeding America network food banks. 

“Since the onset of COVID-19, food insecurity has increased in the U.S. and food banks are facing surging need,” said a Starbucks spokesperson. “Feeding America estimates 54 million Americans could go hungry in 2020, including potentially 18 million children, up from an estimated 37 million in previous years.”

According to Feeding America, more than 750,000 people in Louisiana are facing hunger, including 1 in 3 families in New Orleans. The mobile pantry program Starbucks is supporting allows for truckloads of fresh, refrigerated or frozen food items to reach folks that may not have the resources to access traditional grocery stores or food pantries, at no cost.  

The program is an extension of Starbucks support of the growing food crisis, which also includes the initial $1.5 million investment last summer to develop mobile pantry programs for 17 food banks across the U.S., which Second Harvest used to provide more than 1 million pounds of food (nearly 836,000 meals) to those in need. 

According to Jay Vise, Second Harvest’s communications director, “Our mission to fight hunger would not be possible without the major support of partners like Starbucks. Their teams are part of our community, and we are so very grateful for the support.”