What we do
We feed families in communities that need it. Our iconic ALLIANCE of bands, brands, artists, and fans use their time and talents to make it all happen.
How it Works
1. art that feeds
We partner with bands, artists, and fans to host food drives at concerts and music festivals across the country.
2. PRODUCT RESCUE & REDISTRIBUTION
We engage with brands to receive and distribute large-scale food donations, keeping their amazing products out of landfills.
3. monetary donations
Through our ALLIANCE, we raise funds for our operations, with the support of individuals, brands, grantmakers, and more.
Then, at our National Distribution center, we work with our group of badass volunteers and local Hunger Heroes to make sure meals get to families in underserved communities nationwide.
Those we support
Our ALLIANCE comes together to bring food and other essential goods directly to economically-isolated communities across the country. By partnering with schools, pantries, and other organizations working in the hearts of neighborhoods and remote areas including Native American reservations, we’ve been able to deliver 13 million meals and counting to kids, families, disaster victims, and those experiencing homelessness.
BIG PICTURE: WHERE WE SERVE
UP CLOSE: PINE RIDGE RESERVATION
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota is at the heart of our founding story. Our relationship with the community runs deep.
Each week, we provide groceries to families through our local food pantry while supporting students at all 15 schools within the reservation.
Our garden program on Pine Ridge Reservation has installed and supported school and family gardens since 2013 and is currently focused on increasing production through a greenhouse that will supply our food pantry and beyond.
In addition, we regularly distribute a range of other non-food items including toiletries, shoes, clothing, and supplies for school and home, as well as support special projects that promote Lakota culture, health, and youth empowerment.
Our Partners
Food Brands
Keeping surplus food from going to waste has the double benefit of fighting hunger and helping the planet.
Here’s how we work with over 70 leading food brands to keep their amazing eats out of landfills and into the hands of families in need:
- You provide the food, we handle all shipping and logistics including costs!
- Your great products get delivered to our vast network of Hunger Heroes.
- We pick up by pallet or semi-truck anywhere in the U.S.
- All trucking is offset through carbon credit purchasing.
Bands, Festivals & Artists
We partner with poster artists who design exclusive artwork for a specific show or tour. When fans bring their cans (or other food donations), they get to snag one of these exclusive posters. Over the past 20 years, we’ve worked with 130 artists, who have designed well over 1,000 posters, which has powered our national hunger relief efforts and built out ALLIANCE.
How We Started
Our founders were in college when they saw the potential for turning a crowd of fans into a powerful force of community builders. They were avid concert-goers with an idea: What if each of these fans showed up with something to give?
THE VERY FIRST FOOD DRIVE
Our first Food Drive took place in 2002 at The Fillmore Auditorium in Denver, featuring The String Cheese Incident. More than 4,000 meals were collected, and Conscious Alliance took off from there. After establishing a relationship with Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, our team saw the need to fight food insecurity in especially underserved areas. We saw an opportunity to turn music fans into community heroes—giving back to the communities where the shows take place. Today, this tradition continues as we go on tour with bands across the country, giving back in each city we stop in.
Now
Today, with over twenty years of logistics experience behind us, we’ve taken what we learned from nationwide touring with bands and applied that to brand partnerships where we collect unsellable but still awesome food from coast-to-coast. Our huge network of Hunger Heroes help us activate music, art, and the power of brands to help fight hunger and reduce waste.
Staff
Justin Levy
Executive Director
Cathryn Folkestad
Operations Director
BJ Cochran
Logistics & Touring Director
Kathryn Burleson
Program Director
Ali Stone
Marketing & Digital Partnerships Director
Peter Hoy
Freight & Special Projects Director
Kayla Mlodzik
Organization Manager
Mike Cantrell
Program Manager
Dillon Dubois
Program Manager
Natalie Hand
Pine Ridge reservation Field Director
BOARD MEMBERS
Alicia Karlin:
VP, Global Touring & Talent, AEG Presents
Don Strasburg:
President, AEG Rocky Mountains & Pacific Northwest
Eric Mayers:
Artist Manager, Red Light Management
Eric Pirritt:
President, ENDIT!
Gagan J Levy:
Founder & Creative Director, We Are Guru
Gil B. Selinger:
Director, Fairfield and Woods, P.C.
Johnny Alamo:
Johnny Alamo Entertainment
Justin Gold:
Founder, Justin’s
Lauren Hillsburg:
Director, illy caffè
Lauren Lortie:
VP of Marketing, Cappello's
Mike Bank:
Entrepreneur, Musician
Mike Luba:
Founder, Madison House Presents
Peter-Christian Olivo:
Executive VP & General Counsel, Circadence
Ryan Bonvillan:
CEO, Tuned Management
Victoria Fiore:
Founder/CEO, Assembly
ADVISORY BOARD
Amy Cummins:
Special Events Coordinator
Andrew Stone:
Director of Festival Marketing, AEG
Ann Kingston:
Red Light Management
Ben Baruch:
11E1leven Management
Chewy Smith:
CEO/Founder, Also Organics
Consultant
Darcy Johnson:
Vice President, Brand Strategy—Festivals, AEG Presents
Dave Weissman:
Musical Earth Publicity
Ethan Schwartz:
Event Director
Evan Baker:
Organization Consultant
Jason Mastrine:
Hatchery 17
Jay Curley:
Integrated Marketing Manager, Ben & Jerry’s
Jeff King:
Event Director
Jeff Wood:
Owner, Zen Mystic Studio
Jeffrey Swager:
Founder/CEO, Symbiotic Events
Jenny Mueller:
Development Consultant
Jimmy MacMillan:
Philanthropic Consultant
John Warren:
CEO, Jay Dub Productions, Inc.
Jon Blackburn:
Print Specialist
Justin Basch:
Tour, Production Manager
Kevin Gregory:
Audio/Recording Engineer & Production Mgmt.
Lauren Evans:
365 by Whole Foods Market
Liz Folkestad:
Live Nation
Martina Hoffmann:
Visionary Artist
Matt Johns:
Technology & Fundraising Consultant
Michael Benjamin:
Creative Consultant
Michael Travis:
The String Cheese Incident
Nat Keefe:
Hot Buttered Rum
Nathan Prenger:
President, KAABOOWorks
Neal Luecking:
Chief of Marketing/Co-Founder, Chia Viva
Nick Morgan:
Peak Experience Productions
Norm & Sandy Ruth:
Vice President, Deluxe Design
Ray Piagentini MA., MS.:
Professional School Counselor
Rick Hartman:
Operations Research, D.O.D.
Rob Hunt:
Managing Member, Linnaea Holdings
Robey Gibson:
Marketing Advisor, Mesh Marketing
Scott ‘Free’ Jaffke:
Simple Fuels Biodiesel, Free Entertainment
Scott Nichols:
President, Lifestyle Events
Tara Riseley:
Principal, Rise Design Co.
Tobin Voggesser:
Co-Founder, NOCOAST
Tyler Andrews:
Philanthropic Consultant
Veronica Johnson:
Educational Consultant
Walt Pourier:
Owner/Creative Director, Nakota Designs