Conservative Christians are whimpering about Starbucks cups as the company announces an unprecedented benefit to veterans and their families.
I am sure you have all heard about the faux controversy circulating about Starbucks’ minimalist design for their holiday cups this year.
The Atlantic reports that the right-wing rage began with Joshua Feuerstein, a self-proclaimed “American evangelist, internet and social media personality” who raged against “the age of political correctness” and Starbucks’ seasonal cups in a video circulating around the internet.
Donald Trump weighed in on the affair during a Monday night speech in Springfield, Illinois.
“Maybe we should boycott Starbucks. I don’t know,” he said, adding: “Seriously, I don’t care.”
Meanwhile, as Forbes reported yesterday, “Just in time for Veterans Day: Seattle-based coffee giant Starbucks… announced that it will now extend a 100% tuition-free four-year college benefit to the spouse or child of every U.S. veteran or active military reservist employed 20 or more hours a week,” adding “it will also now be paying for up to 80 hours per year for service obligations of employees who are active duty or reservists in the U.S. Armed Forces or National Guard,” according to the report by Forbes.
Forbes continued, reporting that “Starbucks also announced a variety of other benefits, support, and milestones related to the employment of U.S. veterans, active military reservists and military spouses.”
Those benefits will include “two achievement milestones in its provision of services for veterans and their families.”
• Starbucks announced that it has already succeeded in hiring more than 5,500 veterans and military spouses, fulfilling more than 50% of the commitment made just two years ago to employ at least 10,000 vets and their spouses by 2018.
• The company has extended its ambitious Military Family Stores commitment with plans to reach 30 Military Family Stores near U.S. military bases in 2016. Starbucks’ Military Family Stores are run by veterans and military spouses and partner with service and community organizations like Blue Star Families, Team Red, White and Blue, The Mission Continues, USO and others to offer transition services and build connections between military and civilian communities.
So while Donald Trump and conservative Christians are complaining about the cups, Starbucks is heeding the example of Christ’s life and committing itself to serving the greater needs of our country’s brave fighting men and women, their spouses and children.
You can go here to learn more about the full range of Starbucks’ efforts to support veterans.
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