January 31, 2022
As part of The Starbucks Foundation’s Neighborhood Grants program, the Intl. WeLoveU Foundation was selected to receive a $1,000 grant. This grant award is thanks to a nomination from a local Starbucks employee who recognized the work of the organization in Miami, FL, focusing on planting trees to help fulfill the United Nations’ 1 Trillion Trees initiative and reverse deforestation. Through this unique program, The Starbucks Foundation invites Starbucks employees to nominate a local organization in their community.
WeLoveU’s tree planting campaign is part of the Clean WORLD Movement, an environmental initiative the Foundation has been spearheading since 2009. The word “WORLD” is an acronym that stands for Water, Oxygen, Region, Life, and Descendants. When volunteers plant trees, they promote cleaner air, water, and land for the present and future generations. As trees help sustain biodiversity, reduce the world’s carbon footprint, and provide food and livelihood for millions, WeLoveU carries out tree planting and tree maintenance events in the U.S. to help the environment.
“The Intl. WeLoveU Foundation is thankful to receive a grant from The Starbucks Foundation that also shares our vision of creating a sustainable future for our planet,” said WeLoveU Executive Director Duane Ford. “The Neighborhood Grant will help advance WeLoveU’s work of sharing the love of a mother with our local communities and inspiring a culture of volunteerism at a time when it’s needed most. WeLoveU volunteers are eager to continue the fight against climate change and will use this grant to plant more trees in our communities.”
The Starbucks Foundation’s Neighborhood Grants program supports grassroots, community-led nonprofit organizations through catalytic investments in the form of grants. Neighborhood Grants also help build sustained local impact and inspire increased partner (employee) engagement with nonprofit organizations that work in their communities.
“We know that our impact in communities is most meaningful when our efforts begin with our employees who know their neighbors best,” said Starbucks chief social impact officer and The Starbucks Foundation board member Virginia Tenpenny. “Since the beginning Starbucks has been about more than coffee. We are a people company rooted in a mission to nurture the human spirit. To do this well, we will continue to invest in meaningful ways to help our communities thrive.”
-30-
About the Intl. WeLoveU Foundation
Founder and Chairwoman Zahng Gil-jah established the International WeLoveU Foundation in 2001 — which is associated with the United Nations Department of Global Communications (UN DGC) — as a vehicle to deliver a mother’s love to neighbors in need. The Chairwoman took a grassroots approach by personally interacting with and caring for the needs of the global village. Through the initiatives of education, environmental protection, emergency relief, health, international aid, and community well-being, the Chairwoman’s example of giving a mother’s love has spread from the east to the west and planted itself in more than 50 countries to inspire a healthy and hopeful future for many. For more information, visit weloveuusa.org.
About The Starbucks Foundation
The Starbucks Foundation strengthens humanity by transforming lives across the world, with a focus on enabling community resiliency and prosperity and uplifting communities affected by disaster. Established in 1997, The Starbucks Foundation is a Section 501(c)(3) charitable organization under U.S. law. Learn more at sbux.co/foundation.