Teen partners with 20 local Starbucks to help homeless
Rachael Rosenberg, the 16-year-old founder of Bundles of Kindness, has partnered up with Starbucks locations around Santa Clarita to help out the Los Angeles homeless community.
Twenty Starbucks around the valley placed collection bins inside of their stores where people could donate items such as blankets, clothes, toiletries, hygiene products and non-perishable food.
“It gives me hope because it shows that anyone can help others even if it is with a small action,” said Rosenberg.
Bundles of Kindness is a community project that Rosenberg started as she was preparing for her bat mitzvah in 2018. “I quickly decided that homelessness is such a serious issue that it was important to continue my efforts,” said Rosenberg.
In the past three years, Bundles of Kindness has donated 660 large care packages and is now in the process of assembling another 500 with Starbucks on board.
“I really enjoy giving back to the community,” said Michael Donoghue, manager at a Starbucks on Copper Hill Drive. “And I think that’s one of the things that Starbucks does really well, giving back to the community, to people and donating our time, energy and resources.”
Rosenberg decided to partner with Starbucks locations in Santa Clarita as she’s a tutor in the area. She was thrilled that Donoghue had been extremely helpful in making this a successful effort by printing posters, making sure the donation boxes were wrapped and being a constant support. This made her very optimistic for the future.
“My hope is that if people use the resources in the bags, that they can be on their way to a better life,” said Rosenberg.
Rosenberg’s mother, Deborah Rosenberg, is extremely proud of her daughter as she has seen the firsthand impact that her daughter had made in the community.
“I can remember someone telling Rachael that they were on the cusp of being able to get housed, and that her care package was going to make a difference,” said Deborah Rosenberg.
Care packages are distributed to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, the Veterans Administration, Safe Parking LA, food pantries, shelters and directly to those who are living on the street.
Donation boxes were in place through April and will be removed Tuesday, but Starbucks will continue to accept donations until May 16. Donations should be given to the Starbucks manager.
For a longer list of donation requests or to donate through the Bundles of Kindness Amazon wish list, visit https://amzn.to/37JMOw7. For more ways to donate, visit the Bundle of Kindness website at https://bundlesofkindness.herokuapp.com/.