It's Valentine's Day and what would it be without a love story? But not every love story deals with romance.
This is a holiday to celebrate love of all kinds.
We met a local woman whose own personal love story is now getting national attention.
Her name is Staci Perry, she's from outside of Brookings and her story of loss, compassion and the love of strangers is now part of Starbucks' Valentine's, "Everylove" campaign.
Staci Perry is getting her Valentine's cup of coffee from the Brookings Hy-Vee Starbucks. Staci remembers vividly another holiday she was here, last 4th of July weekend, the baristas asked if she had plans. She says, "when they asked me, I said, 'we're actually just beginning a long process of cleaning up from a storm that hit our place yesterday.'"
A strong summer storm destroyed much of Staci's property. She says 6 of the Starbucks baristas, strangers, were so touched by the story, they pooled their money and bought her family a Hy-Vee gift card. Stacy says, "I was overwhelmed, very appreciative, it's really easy to overlook the small things that people can do."
But Staci did not overlook this gesture, she wrote a blog post about the gift. She says, "that was my way of saying thank you and letting Starbucks know."
Starbucks Valentine's campaign is about more than just hearts on the cups, they're also sharing Staci's story about their "Everylove" campaign. Staci says, "every love. not just romantic-lovey-love."
Staci's is one of three Stories Starbucks chose nationally. They shot her story over a few days in Brookings, including three of the six baristas.
Staci says, "it's good for people to see, 'wow, there really are these good people, we just don't hear about them," good people who Staci says opened their hearts and showed her family real love. She says, "the love of connecting people and showing that you care, you never know when you can make a difference for somebody," Making a difference that goes beyond a cup of coffee.
Staci says she hopes her story inspires others to try random acts of kindness. To see the full "Everylove" stories for Starbucks, click this link: http://www.starbucks.com/
