Starbucks Served Here
On Saturday April 9th and Friday April 29th, 2011, The Salvation Army welcomed volunteers from Starbucks Coffee Canada into two of our facilities to clean up and revitalize areas that needed some TLC. First up was the grounds at Matson Sequoia; low income housing run by The Salvation Army in Victoria. The second was the community dining hall at the Addictions & Rehabilitation Centre in Victoria. These projects coincided with Starbucks “Global Month of Service”, and highlighted the importance of volunteers in our community. The Salvation Army is fortunate to have volunteers working in all our facilities throughout the year.
More than 25 Starbucks employees gave up their time on Saturday April 9th to get down and dirty. The clean-up project at the Matson Sequoia residence, located in Vic West, consisted of trimming hedges, clearing out blackberry bushes, weeding and turning over the gardens, planting flowers, installing wooden planters, power washing, sanding and staining benches, painting over graffiti and generally cleaning up the walkways and pavement in and around the building. The staff from ARC (Addictions & Rehabilitation Centre) were on site working together with the volunteers, to give Matson Sequoia a much needed facelift. The Salvation Army Beacon Bus was also on site serving beverages, a BBQ lunch and desert to all those who participated.
On Friday April 29th 6 members of Starbucks volunteered their time, joining ARC staff, to paint the community dining hall at the shelter. The dining hall is an integral part of what we do at The Salvation Army, therefore the fresh look and feel of the room will serve to brighten the spirits of those who benefit from the community kitchen. The volunteers were treated to a delicious lunch and Executive Director of ARC, Captain Juan Burry, gave an informal presentation on the services and programs offered at the facility.
The Salvation Army has a long standing history of working with volunteers, and the new relationship with Starbucks further strengthens our commitment to working with those in our city who utilize our services. The Salvation Army is grateful for the opportunity to work together with Starbucks in order to promote volunteerism in Victoria. Giving back to the community is what our organization is all about!
The Salvation Army would like to thank Starbucks Coffee Canada for offering their services to us, and we look forward to working together on May 17th, when 50 volunteers from Toronto will join us for another project.
Stay Tuned!
