Conscious Alliance at UGA

onscious 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 concerts and music festivals proved to be an enormous success as generous attendees donated thousands of pounds of food at venues across the country. In 2005, we 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. We have been successful in keeping the emergency food storage on Pine Ridge Reservation continually stocked at all times. We also have moved beyond the social service aspect of our 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 as 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!