Welcome Starbucks
Join us in welcoming Starbucks to our Chamber family. Starbucks, located at 690 East Main Street is in the Waynesboro Shopping Plaza.
Starbucks may be the largest coffee house chain in the world but their mission “to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time,” fits in with our quaint, idyllic community.
What started out as a job, during her gap year, turned into a Starbucks journey for manager LaShonda Ransom. Ransom, who is from the Carolinas, said she had no intention of making a career at the company but quickly discovered a sense of community and camaraderie there. The company helped with tuition assistance for her to go to school and she has been part of the Starbucks team ever since. Working at about 10 Starbucks across the mid-west and east coast.
According to Ransom, Starbucks does not want to come into a community and disrupt it but rather to be a part of it. Ransom shared an interesting story about their coffee growers which are all over the world. She said often the growers do not own the land that they and their families are farming on. Starbucks will often go in and purchase the land and then sell it back to the growers with a low interest loan. She said Starbucks also puts money back into their communities by helping the schools and offering programs for vaccinations and clean water.
Ransom said she looks forward to getting to know the people who live here and hopes to make a difference. One way Starbucks is helping to make a difference locally is with their food share program. At the end of the day instead of throwing their food away they donate it to local shelters. Two organizations that will benefit from this program are the Waynesboro Community and Humane Services and the New Hope Shelter.
Stop by and say hello to LaShonda. Do not worry if you do not like coffee, they have something for everyone. Their menu consists of hot and cold coffees, teas, specialty drinks, breakfast and lunch sandwiches and a few sweets. Currently they are operating on limited hours and do not allow inside/outside seating, however she expects that to change come June.