Caffeine and Community

If you’re like me, you probably long for the good ol’ days when you stopped for a gourmet coffee every morning on the way to work (sigh).  How about some temporary relief?  According to Businessweek’s site, Starbucks is offering just that—one free coffee for the price of a little volunteerism.  From January 21^st through January 25^th, all you have to do is sign a pledge card to donate five hours of time to a local cause of your choice.  The promotion is set to coincide with the inauguration of Barack Obama as President; part of his campaign platform was a call for more community service.

 

Caffeine and community—I’m thinking it’s a great combination….and it may just lead to increased coffee sales.  (Dare I hope for a report from Starbucks post-promo?)

Dine Out and End Childhood Hunger

That’s right.  Going out to eat any day from September 21st through September 28th could help end childhood hunger in America.  But the key is to eat at a participating restaurant.

The program is called the Great American Dine Out and it is being put on by Share Our Strength, a national organization dedicated to eliminating childhood hunger in America.  To make it super simple for you, I’ve got the link to the participating-restaurant-finder right here.  Just go on over to the site, punch in your zip code, and you’ll find a list of restaurants nearby who have agreed to make donations to the cause–based on traffic to their stores during the event.  Some restaurants will donate a portion of their profits while others might donate all profits from a particular dish, and still others may handle their donations in some other way.  It might be best to ask the management when you go out to eat; in that way, you can be sure your dining out dollars are going toward the cause–AND you can send the signal that you support local restaurants who show a dedication to their community.

So where’ll it be?  I think I’ll be divying up my time amongs the three nearest participating stores: Monical’s Pizza, McAlister’s Deli, and Lone Star Steakhouse.  If you’re in the Chambana area, maybe I’ll see you there!