Starbucks Month of the Military Child

September 2025

Starbucks Battalion Buddy Volunteer Initiative

Thank you for your interest in participating in this special volunteer event! Together, Starbucks partners will have the opportunity to assemble 2,250 Battalion Buddies, making a lasting impact on military families.
This meaningful initiative gives participants the chance to honor the resilience and sacrifices of military children by creating Battalion Buddies—stuffed teddy bears that provide comfort and joy during a parent’s deployment. Each store or location may reserve ONE Battalion Buddy event box, which includes all the materials needed to assemble 30 Battalion Buddies.
Please note, registration is limited to the first 75 stores, and spots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Don’t miss out on the chance to be part of this special event and make a tangible difference in the lives of military children and their families!
We look forward to having you join us for this impactful experience.

What to expect

Once you’ve registered, Operation Gratitude will send you an email confirmation as well as an event box containing the following items: 
  • (30) Battalion Buddy Kits; each Kit to include: 
    • Camo Bear Jacket 

    • Pre-Portioned Bear Stuffing 

    • Operation Gratitude Neck Tag 

  • Prepaid return shipping label 
  • Internal and external packing slip with Operation Gratitude identification barcode 
All event boxes will be shipped by August 8th, so depending on the timing of your delivery and the date of your event, you may need to store your materials for several weeks. All materials will be shipped in one 20x20x20 box, so please plan accordingly.
You will be responsible for organizing a small volunteer event for your store to assemble the Battalion Buddy bears included in your event box. The event will need to take place in April and the completed bears will need to be shipped back to Operation Gratitude by no later than September 30, 2025. Please note that the completed bears will need to be shipped back using the original 20x20x20 shipping box, so please be sure to keep it for this purpose!
Please remember to keep the original 20x20x20 shipping box, as it will be needed to return the completed bears. We greatly appreciate your commitment and look forward to the impact your efforts will have!