Starbucks will donate $ 10 million to its employees in need through its newly established Global Partner Emergency Relief Program.

Starbucks will donate a total of $ 10 million to its newly established Global Partner Emergency Relief Program to its employees who are in distress due to coronavirus. Through the Emergency Assistance Foundation and the EMEA Partner Relief Program, licensed shop workers outside of North America can also benefit from this assistance. Help for Starbucks employees in disaster designated areas will be a one-off. Qualified donation categories include housing and utilities, sudden loss of home, death of a family member or partner, and related funeral costs. “As we navigate this global crisis, we never lose sight of the wellbeing of our partners, who are the heartbeat of this company,” Lucy Helm, chief partner officer of Starbucks said in a statement. “During this very difficult time, we believe it is our responsibility to create additional support for partners facing unexpected financial hardship wherever they are. We are proud to be a catalyst for a first-of-its-kind global funding initiative to further demonstrate to our Starbucks partners that we are in this together.” Support packages will continue with the help of a rise in salary for the branches which had been working until the end of March. Starbucks did not respond in time to a request for more information on the distribution of and applications for grants.