Starbucks offers Morning Joe Edition coffee in grocery stores
Photo by Starbucks Coffee Company

Starbucks Coffee Company announced today that it is renaming one of its popular ground coffee offerings from Gold Coast Blend to Gold Coast Blend: Morning Joe Edition, which will be available in grocery stores.  The coffee is a full-bodied blend of Latin American and Asia Pacific coffees including a touch of Starbucks Italian Roast.  It is available in 12-ounce pre-ground packages at a suggested retail price of $9.49.  The introduction of this updated coffee is part of the coffee giant's ongoing partnership with MSNBC's Morning Joe show.

In celebration of the new coffee launch, Starbucks and MSNBC are co-sponsoring Brewing Together Day of Service on Saturday, November 21, in conjunction with HandsOn Network, the largest volunteering organization in the United States.  Brewing Together Day of Service is a call-to-action to inspire and encourage Starbucks and Morning Joe fans to volunteer in their local communities.  To kickoff the call-to-action, the Morning Joe crew and Starbucks partners (employees) will participate in a community art project and other activities at John McDonogh School in New Orleans on November 20.  This project was made possible with the help of City Year Louisiana, a local affiliate of City Year, an organization that "unites young people of all backgrounds for a year of full-time service, giving them skills and opportunities to change the world."

Starbucks and MSNBC will also make a donation to the John McDonogh School for renovations to the school’s auditorium.  The president of MSNBC, Phil Griffin stated in the release,

This is the best part of our relationship– to give back to those in need and inspire others to do good in their own communities.  We’re excited to be bringing Morning Joe to New Orleans to show our viewers what Brewing Together is all about.”

Starbucks has set the arduous yet inspiring goal of contributiing more than 1 million community service hours each year as part of its Shared Planet platform.  The Brewing Together Day of Service is one way the specialty coffee company hopes to achieve this lofty goal.  If you are interested in volunteering on November 21 or year-round, you can visit the HandsOn Network web site to explore volunteer opportunities available in your community.

The folks at Morning Joe chat about Brewing Together Day of Service

If you are interested in learning more about Starbucks work in Corporate Social Responsibilty, read the latest news at Starbucks Shared Planet.  Also, you can subscribe to email updates by clicking on the "subscribe" button above.

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