Aspiranet supports foster and at-risk youth with gift drive at participating Starbucks

Annual gift drive is largest to date collecting donations at 260 store locations throughout California

This holiday season, Starbucks customers in California can share the joy of the holidays with a foster or at-risk youth in need. Foster youth served by Aspiranet, a leading human services agency of California, will receive gift donations from Starbucks customers through this joint effort at 260 participating locations.

From Nov. 21 - Dec. 18, foster and at-risk youths’ gift wishes will be on display at one of 82 Starbucks stores in the Inland Empire. Starbucks customers who wish to participate may select a gift wish of a child or teen in foster care, or at-risk youth. Unwrapped gifts can be returned to the store location with the original gift tag attached.

Now in its eighth year, the annual Starbucks gift drive builds a bridge between the generosity of the community and the holiday wishes of foster children. Last year, customers donated more than 6,000 gifts, allowing Aspiranet social workers to deliver age-appropriate gifts for thousands of foster youth and teens from infants to older youth transitioning out of foster care.

“We are very grateful to Starbucks for its continuous support making sure the youth we serve are thought of and cared for throughout the holiday season,” said Vernon Brown, CEO of Aspiranet. “We always see the greatest need among our older youth between the ages of 10 and 17; we encourage those who wish to donate to open their hearts to foster and at-risk youth of all ages this year.”

A list of participating Starbucks locations can be found at: www.aspiranetholidays.org.

About Aspiranet

Aspiranet, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charity, supports foster children, siblings, families and the community with 35 core programs offering specialized services throughout 45 locations within California. Aspiranet strengthens children, youth, families and communities through seven core programs including: Foster Care, Adoption, Residential, Transition Age Youth, Behavioral Health, Intensive Home-Based Services and Family and Community Services. Founded 40 years ago as a six-bed group home for young boys in Moss Beach, California, Aspiranet is one of the most diverse nonprofit social service agencies in the state. With a statewide network of innovative services, Aspiranet serves more than 10,000 families each year. For more information, please visit www.aspiranet.org