Face the Fight and Starbucks Team Up to Encourage Veteran Connection During Buddy Check Week

With the veteran suicide rate 60% higher than the national average, Face the Fight® and Starbucks Coffee Company are marking the third year of their partnership to support the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' Buddy Check Week, September 21–25, encouraging people across the country to reach out, reconnect and remind the Veterans in their lives that they are not alone.

A text. A phone call. A cup of coffee. A simple check-in can take just a few minutes, but hearing from someone who thought to reach out can mean much more. That spirit of connection is at the heart of Buddy Check Week, when Veterans and those who support them are encouraged to make meaningful connections with the people in their lives.

Subscribe

The partnership has continued to grow its impact. During last year's initiative, Starbucks provided $10 gift cards for the first 15,000 people who pledged to check in with 10 Veterans. More than 20,000 Veterans participated in check-ins, resulting in more than 200,000 connections. This year, Starbucks is expanding its commitment, providing $10 gift cards to the first 20,000 people who take the pledge to reach out to 10 Veterans.

"Checking in doesn't have to be complicated. Sometimes it's a text, a phone call or sitting down together over a cup of coffee," said Babs Chase, Executive Director of the Face the Fight Coalition. "Through our partnership with Starbucks, we're encouraging people to reach out to the Veterans in their lives and remind them they're not alone. A simple connection can mean more than we know."

One place this is happening is at the Military Influencer Conference in Tampa, where Face the Fight is providing free Starbucks coffee to nearly 4,000 attendees, including service members, veterans, spouses, creators, entrepreneurs, executives, and community leaders.

You don't need the perfect words to check in. Sometimes, "How have you been?" is all it takes to start a conversation.

To participate in Buddy Check Week, take the training and make the pledge to reach out to 10 Veterans.

About Face the Fight®

Face the Fight® is a life-saving initiative uniting more than 300 cross-sector partners to dramatically reduce veteran suicide by 2032. Founded by USAA, Reach Resilience, an Endeavors Foundation, and the Humana Foundation, the movement breaks stigma, expands access to proven solutions, and builds a culture where seeking help is a sign of strength, ensuring every veteran and their loved ones are supported and never left to fight alone. Learn more at WeFaceTheFight.org.