As part of The Starbucks Foundation’s Neighborhood Grants program, the Teen Angel program was selected to receive a $1,000 grant. This grant award is thanks to a nomination from a local Starbucks partner (employee) who recognized the organization’s work in Warren County.
This is the second Neighborhood Grant Teen Angel has received. The program received a $2,000 grant in 2022. Both times the program was nominated by the Starbucks location on Scottville Road in Bowling Green.
Through the Neighborhood Grants program, The Starbucks Foundation invites Starbucks partners to nominate a local organization in their community. Since 2019, more than 8,000 organizations have been awarded grants amounting to more than $12.5 million.
Teen Angel is a Christmas assistance program started in 2010 by Vision, a multi-agency council that works with the Family Resource/Youth Services Centers (FRYSCs) in the Bowling Green Independent and Warren County Public school systems. The program collects money and gift cards from community members between September and the beginning of December. The donations are then distributed to the FRYSCs, who purchase clothes and other items for the teens at their respective schools. Finally, they distribute those gifts to the parents and legal guardians who apply for assistance.
Thanks to the generosity of businesses, schools, students, and Bowling Green and Warren County residents, the Teen Angel program has raised more than $306,000 since 2010. The financial support helps ensure that teens in Warren County who normally get nothing or very little for Christmas are provided for.
“The support given by our local Starbucks on Scottsville Road and its store manager, Maria Jones, has been phenomenal. Her drive and passion for helping make Bowling Green and Warren County a better place to live is evident, not just in the support given to us at Teen Angel but in the many ways she and her team members give to numerous organizations. Teen Angel would not be what it is today without her and her team,” says Joshua Smith, Teen Angel Coordinator.
The Starbucks Foundation’s Neighborhood Grants program supports grassroots, community-led nonprofit organizations through catalytic investments in the form of grants. Neighborhood Grants also help build sustained local impact and inspire increased partner engagement with nonprofit organizations that work in their communities.
“Our partners (employees) know their communities best, and have shared great insights about the organizations helping to uplift others in their neighborhoods, from addressing homelessness and fighting hunger to supporting youth and families,” said Alicia Vermaele, executive director of The Starbucks Foundation. “Through our latest round of Neighborhood Grants, we’re proud to support local organizations nominated by Starbucks partners who make our communities stronger.”