Conscious alliance
Encyclopedia
Conscious Alliance is a United States
organization founded in 2002 to collect and distribute food to people in need.
The national 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
operates through ongoing, grassroots food collection and hunger awareness programs throughout the United States, primarily by organizing food drives at concerts and music events. Donations to Conscious Alliance benefit America’s local food pantries and economically isolated Native American reservations. Over the years, Conscious Alliance has hosted hundreds of food drives at music festivals including Bonnaroo
, Power to the Peaceful, and Wakarusa
, and at concerts by artists such as The String Cheese Incident, STS9, Jack Johnson
, Michael Franti
& Spearhead, Dave Matthews
, Phil Lesh
, and many others.
Conscious Alliance began as one college student’s vision and drive to help others. It all started when Justin Baker, founder of Conscious Alliance, mobilized a group of friends and fellow students to come together as food drive volunteers. Baker’s vision led him to host campus-wide food drives with the hopes of not only collecting and distributing food to impoverished Native American
Reservations in the Western United States
, but also to raise awareness about the extreme economic poverty
that still exists on many reservations today.
The efforts didn’t stop there as Conscious Alliance soon discovered that it had the capability to appeal to a much larger audience. Music events were just the source needed to capture a greater audience in one place at one time. Hosting food drives at concert
s and music festival
s proved to be an enormous success as generous attendees donated thousands of pounds of food at venues across the country.
In 2005, they successfully built a much needed food storage and distribution facility on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
in South Dakota
, one of the poorest communities in the country. The unit is used to store and distribute emergency food supplies to more than 100 families at the end of each month when bills are due and emergency food is critical in making it to the next month.
Conscious Alliance has been successful in keeping the emergency food storage on Pine Ridge Reservation continually stocked at all times. They also have moved beyond the social service aspect of the organization in providing emergency food relief, to the social development work that is needed to help create a sustainable economy on reservations. This includes several projects directed toward Native American youth, intended to help the younger generation develop and uphold a strong relationship to their community and culture.
Today, Conscious Alliance is stronger than ever and looking toward the future. Over the years the organization has grown to become a dedicated and openhearted alliance of supporters that includes all ages and demographics. Conscious Alliance is not just the staff and volunteers seen at the food drives, but includes every musician, artist, industry supporter, corporate sponsor, and individual who donates food, funds, and time to our cause. These people allow us to continue our primary mission of providing the basic necessities of life to those in need. We thank all the supporters who have joined us to create a truly unified Conscious Alliance!
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
organization founded in 2002 to collect and distribute food to people in need.
The national 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
operates through ongoing, grassroots food collection and hunger awareness programs throughout the United States, primarily by organizing food drives at concerts and music events. Donations to Conscious Alliance benefit America’s local food pantries and economically isolated Native American reservations. Over the years, Conscious Alliance has hosted hundreds of food drives at music festivals including Bonnaroo
Bonnaroo Music Festival
The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is an annual four day music festival created and produced by Superfly Productions and AC Entertainment, held at Great Stage Park on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee. It hosted its tenth annual event June 9–12, 2011...
, Power to the Peaceful, and Wakarusa
Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival
Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival is a four-day music festival held in early June at Mulberry Mountain near Ozark, Arkansas. The festival has been held annually since 2004....
, and at concerts by artists such as The String Cheese Incident, STS9, Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson (musician)
Jack Johnson was born May 18, 1975 is an American folk rock singer-songwriter, surfer and musician known for his work in the soft rock and acoustic genres. In 2001, he achieved commercial success after the release of his debut album, Brushfire Fairytales. He has since released four more albums, a...
, Michael Franti
Michael Franti
Michael Franti is an American poet, musician, and composer. He is the creator and lead vocalist of Michael Franti & Spearhead, a band that blends hip hop with a variety of other styles including funk, reggae, jazz, folk, and rock...
& Spearhead, Dave Matthews
Dave Matthews
David John "Dave" Matthews is a South African–born American musician and occasional actor, best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band...
, Phil Lesh
Phil Lesh
Phillip Chapman Lesh is a musician and a founding member of the Grateful Dead, with whom he played bass guitar throughout their 30-year career....
, and many others.
Conscious Alliance began as one college student’s vision and drive to help others. It all started when Justin Baker, founder of Conscious Alliance, mobilized a group of friends and fellow students to come together as food drive volunteers. Baker’s vision led him to host campus-wide food drives with the hopes of not only collecting and distributing food to impoverished Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
Reservations in the Western United States
Western United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
, but also to raise awareness about the extreme economic poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
that still exists on many reservations today.
The efforts didn’t stop there as Conscious Alliance soon discovered that it had the capability to appeal to a much larger audience. Music events were just the source needed to capture a greater audience in one place at one time. Hosting food drives at concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
s and music festival
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
s proved to be an enormous success as generous attendees donated thousands of pounds of food at venues across the country.
In 2005, they successfully built a much needed food storage and distribution facility on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is an Oglala Sioux Native American reservation located in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Originally included within the territory of the Great Sioux Reservation, Pine Ridge was established in 1889 in the southwest corner of South Dakota on the Nebraska border...
in South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, one of the poorest communities in the country. The unit is used to store and distribute emergency food supplies to more than 100 families at the end of each month when bills are due and emergency food is critical in making it to the next month.
Conscious Alliance has been successful in keeping the emergency food storage on Pine Ridge Reservation continually stocked at all times. They also have moved beyond the social service aspect of the organization in providing emergency food relief, to the social development work that is needed to help create a sustainable economy on reservations. This includes several projects directed toward Native American youth, intended to help the younger generation develop and uphold a strong relationship to their community and culture.
Today, Conscious Alliance is stronger than ever and looking toward the future. Over the years the organization has grown to become a dedicated and openhearted alliance of supporters that includes all ages and demographics. Conscious Alliance is not just the staff and volunteers seen at the food drives, but includes every musician, artist, industry supporter, corporate sponsor, and individual who donates food, funds, and time to our cause. These people allow us to continue our primary mission of providing the basic necessities of life to those in need. We thank all the supporters who have joined us to create a truly unified Conscious Alliance!