Starbucks, food bank join forces to make sure students get breakfast

  Customers of Yuma's Starbucks coffee stores can help ensure 75 needy children in Somerton receive a hot bowl of oatmeal every weekend during the upcoming school year.

  When they visit any of the four stores, they can buy oatmeal for the students of Orange Grove Elementary School.

  At the end of a three-month period, Starbucks will deliver the purchased oatmeal to the Yuma Community Food Bank, which in turn will give it to the students to take home for weekend consumption.

  The 75 students from low-income families already receive free or reduced price lunches at school during the week, and the oatmeal ensures they have a nutritious breakfast during the weekend as well, said Shelly Barbato, events manager for the food bank.

  "We are hoping to collect 4,000 cups of oatmeal total, with at least 1,000 coming in per Starbucks location," Barbato said.

  The campaign began this month and concludes Aug. 1, in time to distribute the oatmeal to the families for the 2009-10 school year.

  For more information, call any Starbucks store or Barbato at the food bank, 343-1243, Ext. 18.