Okay I got this from Kim Kommando's "Tip of the Day" email regarding an Urban Legend of SB's refusal to donate coffee to our troops in Iraq, so I credit this insert to the Kim Kommando Show. Let me preface that no one or organization should be forced to donate to any cause but their reasons and justifications for supporting the troops still seems a bit shibai. Here's the excerpt of the email:
AND NOW FOR TODAY'S TIP... Coffee, the troops & how you can help
Q. I recently heard a story of Marines writing to Starbucks, informing
them how much they like their coffee and if it would be possible to get
some free shipments. I couldn't verify it, but I understand that
Starbucks said no because they cannot support the war.
As a veteran and addressing all of us who should be thankful of the
sacrifices our troops have made, I feel we should get this out in the
open. Please show us a way to get in touch with the individual units
deployed so we can send our own care packages to our troops, who really
need to know that we care about them.
A. I agree. We must all show our support of the troops and be
thankful that they are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for
our freedom. We can all help. I will tell you more about what you
can do in a moment.
This whole coffee story is not exactly a hoax, because the original
e-mail on this issue was distributed by a Marine sergeant. It has a
grain of truth, but at base is false. You can find the original e-mail
on numerous sites, along with a subsequent letter of apology from the
sergeant. Here are a couple sites to check:
http://urbanlegends.about.com/librar...ks_marines.htm
http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/starbucks.asp
Starbucks says that under its corporate policy, it contributes only
to charities, as defined by the Internal Revenue Service. The military
is not a charity, so it has not contributed directly to the military.
However, Starbucks employees have contributed countless bags of coffee,
according to Peter Tremblay, a director of public affairs. Tremblay
said each employee receives a pound of free coffee every week.
Thousands of employees have donated their coffee, he said.
"We have 85,000 employees," Tremblay added. "The support for the troops
is just overwhelming."
Numerous organizations work with the military to send gifts or words
of encouragement to service members deployed overseas. They also help
families of those who have been deployed.
Bottom line is that SB didn't donate a thing to the troops, they hide behind the donations from the employees who gave up their perk (no pun intended) for the troops on their own.
Now each of you out there may have different opinions of the U.S. in Iraq, however we are there and our military (who protects us) are out there and could use some level of support whether it be patriotic or just coffee. Those desert nights can get really cold especially now.
Too bad Star Bucks didn't "bend" their corporate policy on donations, looking only at the tax deductable reasons why they didn't. As bitter as the coffee is, I think it now even has a more bitter taste to those in our military who got shunned by Star Buck's turning their back on a request for support.
AND NOW FOR TODAY'S TIP... Coffee, the troops & how you can help
Q. I recently heard a story of Marines writing to Starbucks, informing
them how much they like their coffee and if it would be possible to get
some free shipments. I couldn't verify it, but I understand that
Starbucks said no because they cannot support the war.
As a veteran and addressing all of us who should be thankful of the
sacrifices our troops have made, I feel we should get this out in the
open. Please show us a way to get in touch with the individual units
deployed so we can send our own care packages to our troops, who really
need to know that we care about them.
A. I agree. We must all show our support of the troops and be
thankful that they are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for
our freedom. We can all help. I will tell you more about what you
can do in a moment.
This whole coffee story is not exactly a hoax, because the original
e-mail on this issue was distributed by a Marine sergeant. It has a
grain of truth, but at base is false. You can find the original e-mail
on numerous sites, along with a subsequent letter of apology from the
sergeant. Here are a couple sites to check:
http://urbanlegends.about.com/librar...ks_marines.htm
http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/starbucks.asp
Starbucks says that under its corporate policy, it contributes only
to charities, as defined by the Internal Revenue Service. The military
is not a charity, so it has not contributed directly to the military.
However, Starbucks employees have contributed countless bags of coffee,
according to Peter Tremblay, a director of public affairs. Tremblay
said each employee receives a pound of free coffee every week.
Thousands of employees have donated their coffee, he said.
"We have 85,000 employees," Tremblay added. "The support for the troops
is just overwhelming."
Numerous organizations work with the military to send gifts or words
of encouragement to service members deployed overseas. They also help
families of those who have been deployed.
Bottom line is that SB didn't donate a thing to the troops, they hide behind the donations from the employees who gave up their perk (no pun intended) for the troops on their own.
Now each of you out there may have different opinions of the U.S. in Iraq, however we are there and our military (who protects us) are out there and could use some level of support whether it be patriotic or just coffee. Those desert nights can get really cold especially now.
Too bad Star Bucks didn't "bend" their corporate policy on donations, looking only at the tax deductable reasons why they didn't. As bitter as the coffee is, I think it now even has a more bitter taste to those in our military who got shunned by Star Buck's turning their back on a request for support.
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