- The grant recognizes the community impact Vimenti has in promoting food security, healthy living, and intergenerational learning, and will directly support hands-on school gardening activities that enhance access to nutritious food and empower families to cultivate their own produce.
- As part of Starbucks commitment to the communities it serves, The Starbucks Foundation empowers organizations like Vimenti to implement sustainable solutions that combat food insecurity and enhance well-being in underserved areas.
San Juan, Puerto Rico (May 19, 2025) - As part of The Starbucks Foundation's Global Community Impact Grants program, Vimenti was selected to receive a $10,000 grant. This grant award is thanks to a nomination from Starbucks licensed business operator Baristas del Caribe, LLC., which manages the Starbucks brand in Puerto Rico. Through this unique program, The Starbucks Foundation receives and evaluates nominations from licensees of local nonprofit organizations in their community. This round of grant recipients was selected from more than 80 nominated local nonprofit organizations across 46 markets around the world.
This grant will support over 80 individuals at Vimenti by providing hands-on school gardening activities that promote food security, healthy living, and intergenerational learning through Vimenti’s Two-Generation Model. Vimenti will further enable youth, families, and community members to cultivate their own food, develop practical skills for healthy living, and foster social connections in the community.
'As Vimenti evolves from an integrated services center within our community to a pivotal services hub for Villa Prades and beyond, collaborations and partnerships remain at the heart of our work,' expressed Bárbara Rivera Batista, the executive director at Vimenti. 'We are grateful and honored to have The Starbucks Foundation and Baristas del Caribe among our partners in our mission to eradicate child and generational poverty in Puerto Rico through comprehensive and high-quality educational programs for the entire family.'
“I conceived this project after last year's heat wave, wanting to improve the quality of life of the children during their time at school,” said Sherleen Camilo, mother of a fourth-grade student and member of the Vimenti Family Council. 'I am thrilled and grateful to see how school, families, and volunteers come together to make this dream come true, creating a garden that not only benefits our children but also strengthens our school community at Vimenti.”
The Starbucks Foundation's Global Community Impact Grants program supports nonprofit organizations driving programs that create meaningful local or regional impact, expanding on the company's ambition to contribute positively to the communities it serves. This program builds on other initiatives of The Starbucks Foundation, including Neighborhood Grants, Origin Grants, and Disaster Response Grants - which focus on enabling community resiliency and prosperity and uplifting communities affected by disasters. Since the program launch in 2022, The Starbucks Foundation and licensee partners have awarded more than $10 million in Global Community Impact Grants to more than 150 nonprofit organizations across more than 60 markets.
“Since the beginning, Starbucks has set out to be a different kind of company - one that prioritizes our partners (employees), customers, and the communities we serve in locally relevant ways,” said Brady Brewer, CEO, International at Starbucks and board member of The Starbucks Foundation. “Through Global Community Impact Grants, we ask our partners to elevate the causes they care about in their communities, and we follow their lead, donating to the local organizations they care about most.”
“At Starbucks, we strongly believe in the power of communities and our responsibility to support initiatives that transform lives. Through The Starbucks Foundation’s Global Community Impact program, we are proud to support the vital work that Vimenti does, providing opportunities and integrated services to families in Puerto Rico. This grant reaffirms our commitment to contribute to the well-being and sustainable development of our local communities,” said Idis Ortiz-López, General Manager of Starbucks in Puerto Rico.
Learn more about the Global Community Impact Grants program at Starbucks Stories.