Starbucks makes rescue workers buy water for survivors of the WTC collapse-Truth!

Starbucks Charged Rescue Workers at the World Trade Center Collapse for Bottled Water-Truth!

Summary of eRumor:
There are several versions floating around the Internet, but the bottom line is that rescue workers at the World Trade Center collapse needed water in the midst of all the smoke and dust to help survivors they were finding and treating. According to the eRumor, a Starbucks at Ground Zero made the rescuers fork over their own money to get the water they needed.

The Truth:
There have been several media accounts documenting this story as true. According to an article in the Seattle Post Intelligencer on September 25, 2001, a representative of the family-owned Midwood Ambulance company wrote a letter of complaint to Starbucks. He said his employees, whom he called heroes, were charged $130 for the water, which they paid for out of their pockets. It was at a Starbucks in Battery Park. The letter said the company representative was rebuffed when he called a Starbucks number from their website, so he wrote a letter to the CEO of the company. The ambulance company eventually got a call from the President of Starbucks with an apology, a promise of a refund, and free coffee for their employees.

A real example of the story as it has been circulated:

My family owns an ambulance service in Brooklyn NY. Midwood Ambulance if anyone knows it.

Anyway, my uncles were at "Ground Zero" during the attack to help the victims. They donated their time to help with this crisis as many New Yorkers did. A great deal of people were in shock from the devastation. As many of you know, shock victims are supposed to drink a lot of water. My uncle went to the Starbucks down the street to get bottles of water for the victims he was treating. Can you believe they actually charged him for it!! He paid the $130 for 3 cases of bottled water out of his own pocket. Now, I would think that in a crisis such as this, vendors in the area would be more than happy to lend a little help by donating water. Well, not Starbucks! As if this country hasn't given them enough money! Anyway, the point of this story wasn't to glorify my uncle's actions but to suggest a boycott on Starbucks. Now, I love Frappaccinos as much as anyone, but any company that would try to make a profit off of a crisis like this doesn't deserve the American public's hard earned money. Please forward this e-mail to any one you know and encourage them to do the same. Thank you!