Front-line workers can continue to get free coffee at Starbucks through end of May

Starbucks announced this week that it has given more than 1 million free cups of coffee to front-line responders in the U.S. and Canada amid the coronavirus pandemic, vowing to continue serving free beverages through the end of next month.

The coffee giant said in a Thursday statement that it had officially served 1 million cups of coffee to first responders and front-line health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic since March 25. Last month, Starbucks said it would give out a free tall brewed coffee — which could be hot or iced — to front-line responders.

“For many of those working long hours caring for those who are sick or in need, a cup of coffee can represent a bright spot in their day and give them a much-needed boost, some say,” Starbucks said in the Thursday statement.

The offer applies to first responders, nurses, doctors, hospital staff and researchers, according to the Miami Herald. 

The coffee chain is currently serving customers only through drive-thru and delivery options, but Starbucks Executive Vice President Rossann Williams wrote in an open letter earlier this month that it will reopen “as many stores as we can with modified operations and best in class safety measures” beginning May 4.

Starbucks also shared in the Thursday statement that Adam Mozel, its regional director in Washington, D.C., launched a program last month to brew and deliver coffee to every police station in the nation’s capital each afternoon.

“I’m always inspired by our partners, but this is next level,” Mozel said in the statement. “They’re choosing every day to show up to serve their customers and their communities. We’ve had hundreds of partners do that. It shows how extraordinary our people are.”

Other businesses have also offered free services to first responders during the pandemic. McDonalds began offering free “Thank You” meals to health care workers and first responders. The workers can receive up to one free meal a day for breakfast, lunch or dinner.