Local homeless shelters receive grant from Starbucks Foundation
– The Starbucks Foundation has awarded a $5,000 Neighborhood Grant to El Camino Homeless Organization, also known as ECHO, in recognition of its work assisting individuals and families experiencing homelessness in San Luis Obispo County.
The grant is part of The Starbucks Foundation’s Neighborhood Grants program, which supports local nonprofits nominated by Starbucks employees. This year, the program received more than 56,000 nominations across the United States and Canada, selecting 3,200 organizations for funding.
Since the program began in 2019, more than 115,000 Starbucks employees have participated, resulting in over 13,000 grants totaling more than $20 million. The funding supports causes such as empowering youth, fighting hunger, supporting families and promoting environmental stewardship.
To celebrate the award, the Starbucks district manager and store managers from locations throughout San Luis Obispo County visited ECHO to deliver the news. They presented a plaque, served coffee and cake, and participated in a discussion about possible future collaborations between the two organizations.
“We are incredibly grateful to our local friends at Starbucks for selecting ECHO as a grant recipient,” said Wendy Lewis, CEO of ECHO. “Their generous support directly strengthens our mission. So far this year, we have helped 245 individuals and families find stable housing, and this is only possible with the support we receive from our community and caring businesses like Starbucks. Together, we are building a community where everyone has a place to call home.”
Lily Vega, store manager of the Starbucks Paso Robles location, also commented on the partnership. “We are so grateful for this community partnership our district team has nurtured and built over the last year. We are honored to present ECHO a Neighborhood Grant and continue to invest in our community together.”
ECHO was established in 2001 and operates two facilities in Atascadero and Paso Robles, with a combined bed capacity of 130. This includes a 60-bed shelter in Atascadero and a 70-bed shelter in Paso Robles. The organization also provides a daily community dinner program and access to showers for individuals and families throughout San Luis Obispo County.
More information is available at www.echoshelter.org.
