How much is community service worth to you? How about prison-like-wages of 35 cents per hour? That's the cost of giving five hours to community service in exchange for one free tall coffee from Starbucks ($1.75).
Customers who fill out cards in Starbucks' stores pledging to volunteer five hours of time will receive one free tall coffee today through Sunday.
It's part of Starbucks' plan to get in on Obama's inauguration good vibes. They've teamed up with the HandsOn Network in an effort to "raise pledges in excess of one million hours of service from all over the country." HandsOn has a bunch of recommendations on its Web site, ranging from "Make New Kids on the Block survival kits" which are packages for new children in the neighborhood that have stuff like welcome cards, school calenders, maps of places to go and school supplies, etc. More involved work includes a self-organizing kit. (Warning! Zip File.)
While I am not always a big fan of Starbucks initiatives I do like the HandsOn Network and let's face it-- if anyone in this country has the time and money to give to community service, it's people who can still afford Starbucks. A free tall coffee may seem stingy but the coffee is not the point. It's just a way to get people invested the way you use doughnuts to get people to come to boring but important meetings. There's even a special Web site called Pledge Five for people to track their hours and encourage their friends to volunteer.
One of my New Year's Resolutions was to give more to my community and knowing that I've got some free coffee coming just makes that resolution a little creamier. (I would have said sweeter but I don't take sugar in my coffee.)
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Who is this even for?
The people that are trully pasionate about voulanteering to the community (not me), are going to be like fuck the coffee.
And the people that just want the coffee will be like I think ill just pay 2-3 bucks..
Man, people who volunteer normally must REALLY be suckers - they don't even get the coffee!
It's just a little award for those who are willing to give their time, the coffee is not meant to be payment.
The point of volunteering is to help people not yourself, the free coffee is just a bonus.
Not to mention the interesting people you will meet while volunteering, the sense of pride for accomplishing something to help your fellow man.
Studies show that volunteering will lower stress and promote feel good endorphins in your brain.
Besides you can get free coffee all week from Jan 21-25.
People who feel that they should be rewarded for community service need to grow up. The reward is its own in the feeling you get helping others. This would be why the US is so fucked up. Self-centeredness, narcissism, nice traits..
I think you people will find that as the country moves forward with a serving President that your idea of rewards will be frowned upon.
And the autor of this piece really needs to do some self-evaluation for writing 'prison wages.' What a self-centered jerk.
I think it is wonderful. Good for you Starbucks! We need many more of these incentives to get people motivated. I used to teach primary school and the kids would work their little buns off for a sticker that said "Well Done." Stickers? Coffee? Rewards work and I thank Starbucks for participating in such a worthwhile endeavour. Yeahhhhhh! It's time to give back to our communities.
Thanks for this post- otherwise i would have nver known! Well done to Starbucks and all the volunteers, great initiative!
Wouldnt it be great if Americans abroad could join in. I havent figured out how yet. I am open to ideas.
Really people? It's called community service because it's SERVICE!!! Stop being so self centered and consider doing something for someone else without expecting a damn lamborghini in return.
Good Jesus, the last four comments here, with the exception of Sly's, were by simpletons.
Alan James - I can think of nothing more scathing to say to you than to simply repeat your initial post, you've done all the work for me.
Nicholai - it's a tiny incentive, possibly aimed at bringing to the forefront of an otherwise oblvious person's mind that they can volnteer for community service. The "passionates" are gona keep doing their thing, the "incompassionates" are gona keep buying their coffee - but, you do know that human beings can't be broke into TWO basic groups, right?
Michael L - do you really think that Starbucks management is going, "you know what's a really good deal? If people work for 5 hours we'll give them a free coffee. That's fair, isn't it?". No, they're not. Again, like I said above, it's just a "kicker" to get people thinking. Only a clinically insane person would think that it's a fair deal! The community benefits instead of you personally, get it???
Actually, you get a free tall coffee from the 21st through the 26th, which is 1.75 an hour, but seriously? Seriously, a company is giving you something for free and you're complaining about the "prison wages?" The fuck is wrong with you, you cheap bastard? So sorry your local Starbucks baristas won't be giving you twenty free frappuccinos and a hand job for your terrible inconvenience of pledging five hours of community support for the entire year.
A Starbucks Coffee worth 5 hours community service????? No way, i don't think so!
First of all, i hate their coffee! Secondly, why don't Starbucks employees donate 5 hours of their time?
Who is this even for?
The people that are trully pasionate about voulanteering to the community (not me), are going to be like fuck the coffee.
And the people that just want the coffee will be like I think ill just pay 2-3 bucks.
Alan James says:
"You can just pledge to do some community bs and get the free coffee then not bother right? Otherwise screw them. The plebians can work to rebuild this country, Im in it for no 1. and am only doing work that benefeits me directly"
You're a Republican,right?
You can just pledge to do some community bs and get the free coffee then not bother right? Otherwise screw them. The plebians can work to rebuild this country, Im in it for no 1. and am only doing work that benefeits me directly
I may do it. :D
I need my community service hours to graduate high school anyways.
The Pass it Forward Movement www.aunitedworld.org is congratulating the Hands On Network and Starbucks for organizing such a great promotion.
Arlan Berglas
Director, Pass It Forward Movement
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