Fresno County agencies, Starbucks raise $23,234 for Special Olympics

A chance drive-thru conversation helped push Fresno County law enforcement and Starbucks to $23,234 for Special Olympics Northern California, including a $5,000 donation from a local business owner after a deputy explained the campaign.

The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, CHP-Fresno and Starbucks wrapped the May 8 fundraiser as part of the Badges for Buckets effort. Sheriff’s spokesman Tony Botti said the money will go to local Special Olympics athletes, tying the event directly to athletes in Fresno County and across the Central Valley.

The campaign works through public-facing contact. Local law enforcement agencies and athletes greet customers and collect donations at Starbucks locations, turning a retail setting into a short-term fundraising site for free, year-round programs for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. That structure gives the effort a measurable outcome beyond uniforms, coffee cups and a one-day photo stop.

Special Olympics Northern California was created by the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation, and the Fresno County effort fits into that broader law-enforcement partnership. In 2024, one Central Valley version of the fundraiser involved more than 30 Starbucks locations across Fresno, Kings, Madera, Merced and Tulare counties. Another report put participation at more than 40 locations, showing how widely the campaign has spread through the region.

Sheriff John Zanoni’s department has used the event to connect deputies and athletes with customers, while Starbucks provides the storefronts that make the donations possible. This year’s total, along with the extra $5,000 that came from the drive-thru conversation, gave the program a concrete payoff: money that organizers say will help keep Special Olympics programming free for athletes who train and compete all year.