Starbucks Donates $10K to Support Lutheran Family Services’ “At Ease” Program

Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska (www.lfsneb.org) has received a generous gift from Starbucks to support services for the At Ease program, which provides confidential, supportive and therapeutic services for active military members, veterans and their families.

The donation was announced on Wednesday, February 7 at the Starbucks at Highway 370 and 72nd Street in Papillion. Starbucks Regional Director Ernie McIntosh announced the $10,000 donation alongside Cliff McEvoy, Program Manager for At Ease. Also in attendance was Christopher Schmidt, Starbucks Manager of Veterans and Military Affairs, Retired Major General Roger Lempke of the Nebraska National Guard who is now Director of Military and Veteran Affairs for Nebraska U.S. Senator Deb Fischer, and Sharon Robino West of the Veterans Administration. Starbucks employee Chris Lassiter, who is a military veteran and military spouse, also made brief remarks.

The Papillion location is one of 38 “Starbucks Military Family Stores” across the United States. Starbucks has pledged to hire 25,000 veterans at its stores by 2025. The company has already hired 10,000 veterans since 2013.

The Lutheran Family Services’ (LFS) mission is to express God’s love for all people by providing quality human care services that build and strengthen individual, family and community life. The organization’s vision is safety, hope and well-being for all people. Programs are available in Children Services, Behavioral Health and Community Services. For more information, please call (402) 978-5646 or visit www.lfsneb.org.