Starbucks Donation to displaced Ukrainians arriving in Canada under the ‘Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel.’

On December 13, 2023, Starbucks donated a generous $6,500 in gift cards (260 gift cards of $25 denominations) for distribution to displaced Ukrainians and other displaced people in need across all provinces.

OUSH-OHPU worked with nine provincial and territorial coordinating partners to allocate and coordinate the donations (see Annex 1 for Corporate Donation Process Map). To ensure equity between provinces and territories, donations were allocated based on available data including Financial Assistance data from Employment and Social Development Canada which provides percentages of displaced Ukrainians who applied for financial assistance in each province or territory. In coordination with the provincial and territorial partners, the settlement agencies distributed the donated items to displaced Ukrainians in their communities.

Provincial and Territorial Coordinators, alternatively known as Provincial Territorial Hub (PT Hub) coordinators, play a key role as essential sector partners. They contribute significantly to needs assessment, provincial allocation, and the seamless distribution of donations within their respective provinces. OUSH-OHPU maintains a close collaboration with PT Hub coordinators, convening biweekly meetings at the PT Hub Coordination Table. The table plays important role in implementing a collective response to support displaced Ukrainians in Canada.

The table below illustrates the allocation process for Starbucks gift cards which is based on the Financial Assistance from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).

Following the shipment of gift cards to provincial and territorial coordinating partners by the OUSH-OHPU, these partners then proceeded to distribute the cards to the pertinent settlement agencies in their respective provinces. Settlement agencies across various communities in Canada then took charge of distributing these gift cards to displaced Ukrainians and other individuals facing displacement and in need across the country.

In total, 260 gift cards were distributed to displaced Ukrainians and other displaced people in need throughout the country:

• By 27 settlement agencies in all Canadian provinces.
• In 20 different cities and communities.
• 260 families benefited from those gift cards.

OUSH-OHPU disseminated the news of this generous donation across its social media platforms (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram). The mentioned social media posts were further amplified by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.

Additionally, the OUSH-OHPU National Steering Committee recognized Starbucks’ contribution during its biweekly meeting, where around 100 representatives from Federal, Provincial and Territorial Governments, the Settlement Sector and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress convene to link resources and bridge communications for a successful collective response to supporting Ukrainians in Canada.

The OUSH-OHPU National Steering Committee recognized the Canadian Tire Corporation contribution during its biweekly meeting where around 100 representatives from Federal, Provincial and Territorial Governments, Settlement Sector and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress convene to link resources and bridge communications for a successful collective response to supporting Ukrainians in Canada.

OUSH-OHPU, the Government of Canada, the provincial and territorial coordinating partners, as well as the settlement agencies would like to join their voice to those of the displaced Ukrainians to thank Starbucks for their generous donation and the impact it had in the lives of displaced people in need. Дякую!