As part of its plan to increase its workforce while helping military personnel transition to civilian work, Starbucks is announcing today that, over the next five years, it intends to hire at least 10,000 armed forces veterans and spouses of active-duty servicemembers.

“This is, in my view, not charity or philanthropy. But in fact, this is good business,” ‘bucks CEO Howard Schultz says about the plan, aimed at the large number of vets expected to hit the labor force in the near future as activity declines overseas. “These are highly skilled, highly trained people who have significant leadership capabilities, who will add value to Starbucks.”

The company will also be turning two existing Starbucks shops — one in Washington state near the Army’s Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and another in San Antonio, into “community” stores, meaning that a fixed amount from each purchase will be given to local nonprofit organizations.

For example, the Seattle Times reports that the new community store near JBLM will take $.10 from each purchase and give it to a group that helps veterans look for civilian work. That is of particular import to the folks around this base, which will see around 8,000 servicemembers get their discharge papers in the coming years.

“This is absolutely the right thing to do for so many people who have a hard time landing softly and finding their way back to civilian life,” Schultz said. “Businesses and business leaders need to meet them more than halfway.”

Starbucks aims to hire 10,000 vets, active-duty spouses over 5 years [Seattle Times]

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