On National Coffee Day, September 29th, as Philadelphians are searching for a free, celebratory cup of coffee, 100 local Starbucks locations will be promoting a life-saving message.
In its 3rd year of successful partnership, Starbucks and Gift of Life Donor Program – the non-profit, federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO) serving the eastern half of Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware – have joined forces to educate customers about the life-saving and life-enhancing impact of organ and tissue donation.
Throughout September, participating Starbucks locations are displaying promotional materials as part of Gift of Life’s in-store campaign – sharing the stories of real people in the community who are donor family members or who have received the gift of life through organ donation.
As part of the campaign, Starbucks promoted Gift of Life’s Lattes for Life contest this past weekend. Local Starbucks customers received Lattes for Life stickers on their cups, asking them to take a selfie and Tweet or Instagram it with the hashtag #lattesforlife. All selfies will be entered to win a $25 Starbucks gift card! Last year, the social media contest was a huge success and allowed Gift of Life to connect with hundreds of people in the region – and this year was no different.
Gift of Life also had an opportunity to share information about organ donation with approximately 200 Starbucks employees on September 22nd at its regional Starbucks Forum, which was held at Gift of Life’s headquarters in Philadelphia, PA.
Every day in the United States, 21 people die due to the lack of available organs for transplant. In Gift of Life’s region alone, nearly 5,600 people are awaiting a life-saving organ transplant. The fact is that the demand for organ transplants greatly exceeds the number of organs that become available.
Since 1974, Gift of Life Donor Program has coordinated more than 42,000 organ transplants, along with an estimated 600,000 tissue transplants. It only takes 30 seconds to register as an organ and tissue donor at donors1.org. Just one organ and tissue donor can save or enhance the lives of up to 50 people. For more information on organ and tissue donation, please call Gift of Life at 1-800-DONORS-1 (1-800-366-6771) or visit donors1.org.
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About Gift of Life Donor Program
Gift of Life Donor Program is the non-profit, federally-designated organ procurement organization, serving 11.2 million people across Delaware, southern New Jersey and the eastern half of Pennsylvania. Its annual donation rate ranks among the highest in the world. Since 1974, Gift of Life has coordinated more than 46,000 life-saving organs for transplant, and approximately one million tissue transplants have resulted from the generosity of donors and their families. One organ donor can save the lives of up to eight people, and a tissue donor can enhance the lives of up to 75 others. For more information or to register, visit donors1.org.