Kelly Goodejohn, vice president and chief social impact officer at Starbucks
Starbucks might be best known for coffee, but its community impact goes far deeper. In this episode of Retail Gets Real, we’re joined by Kelly Goodejohn, vice president and chief social impact officer at Starbucks, to explore how the global brand is redefining what it means to serve communities — not just with beverages, but with bold action, local investment and sustainability at scale.
Goodejohn’s journey into social impact began long before her 18-year tenure at Starbucks. As someone who’s always wanted to “do good in the world,” she now leads the company’s strategy to build thriving communities around the world — empowering 450,000 global partners (employees), overseeing disaster relief, funding grassroots nonprofits, and spearheading sustainability initiatives.
At the core of Starbucks’ social impact efforts is a belief in the power of connection. Goodejohn emphasizes that Starbucks stores are more than coffee shops — they're community hubs. Whether it’s providing a “third place” for human connection or responding to natural disasters, Starbucks operates with the belief that meaningful community involvement is foundational to retail.
One of Starbucks’ innovative initiatives is the FoodShare program. Prompted by baristas who questioned why surplus food was being discarded, Starbucks worked with Feeding America and Second Harvest to develop a system that safely donates unsold food daily. The logistics are impressive: Food is refrigerated, picked up during regular deliveries and routed through centralized systems before reaching food banks within 24 hours. This initiative now operates across 10,000 stores, 365 days a year.
The impact? Millions of meals provided to communities and millions of pounds of food diverted from landfills. And thanks to a unique corporate commitment, Starbucks reinvests 100% of its federal food donation tax benefit — more than $93 million to date — into hunger relief grants that fund refrigeration, transportation and complementary food supplies.
Goodejohn says Starbucks partners aren’t just employees — they’re changemakers. Partners nominate local nonprofits, volunteer in food banks and serve as the pulse of Starbucks’ community work. This year alone, 56,000 nominations resulted in $5.4 million awarded to 3,200 nonprofits, chosen by the people who know their neighborhoods best.
It’s this bottom-up approach that distinguishes Starbucks’ strategy. Rather than imposing top-down solutions, Goodejohn and her team listen deeply — to partners and to communities — to co-create initiatives that truly meet local needs.
Goodejohn reflects on retail’s evolving role as both a business engine and a civic institution. In a world marked by loneliness, division and disconnection, physical stores have an opportunity to foster real community. For Starbucks, that means embracing its scale and its human touch — acting boldly on behalf of both people and planet.
Tune in to hear how Starbucks is setting the standard for social impact in retail — and how listening, logistics and local connection are driving meaningful, measurable change.
(00:00:00) Leading with purpose at Starbucks
What it means to be Chief Social Impact Officer
How Starbucks supports local communities and global resilience
The power of partner-nominated grants and grassroots giving
Why community impact is part of Starbucks’ DNA, not just its image
(00:04:09) How Starbucks turns food waste into community support
The partner-led idea that sparked a national food rescue program
How logistics and safety drive the success of FoodShare
The roles of Feeding America and Second Harvest in the process
Why this initiative tackles both hunger and sustainability year-round
(00:06:55) Scaling FoodShare and setting the standard for others
How Starbucks’ logistics network made the program sustainable
Why perishable food donations require complex systems
The decision to reinvest 100% of food tax benefits into hunger relief
What other companies are learning from Starbucks’ approach
(00:12:07) Finding purpose in retail and coffee culture
How Starbucks’ store presence enables social impact at scale
Why Kelly Goodejohn finds inspiration in local baristas
The coffee orders that keep people going
How a personal love of strong coffee connects to community work
(00:15:27) The future of retail’s social impact
How stores can help solve the loneliness epidemic
Why listening is essential to meaningful community work
The role of employees in shaping purpose-driven strategy
What retail brands must do to stay relevant in their communities
Starbucks FoodShare Hunger Relief: about.starbucks.com/hunger-relief
The Starbucks Foundation: about.starbucks.com/the-starbucks-foundation
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Learn about retail advocacy at nrf.com/advocacy
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