PINE RIDGE, South Dakota ‚Äì August 25, 2015 ‚Äì The community of Pine Ridge will now have access to a new food bank, officially opened today by a national 501 (c)(3) nonprofit, Conscious Alliance. The food bank is located in Oglala, South Dakota. With dimensions of 40 feet by 20 feet, the food bank will have enough space to hold over 25,000 pounds of food at maximum capacity.   The food bank grand opening kicks off this evening with a community dinner from 6-8 p.m. at the Old St. Peter‚Äôs Church in Lakeside. Sons of the Oglala will present an Honor Song, with the meal to follow.   Since 2002, Boulder, Colorado-based Conscious Alliance has supported the Pine Ridge Reservation through food deliveries and emergency food relief. Only six hours from Boulder, Pine Ridge has been named one of the most economically isolated communities in the U.S. In 2005, the organization built a food bank in the Red Cloud community, which will remain in operation with additional support from the new food bank.   ‚ÄúPine Ridge Reservation is nearly the same size as Connecticut, with a population of roughly 30,000 people ‚Äì and one grocery store. A new food bank of this size will help us expand our outreach as we continue to provide emergency food relief on the reservation,‚Äù said Justin Levy, Executive Director for Conscious Alliance. ‚ÄúIn addition to our hunger relief efforts we are also deeply committed to providing nutrition education, and positive programming for youth living on the reservation.‚Äù Conscious Alliance operates through ongoing food collection and hunger awareness programs, partially by organizing food drives at concerts and music events. The donations collected benefit local food pantries nationwide and economically isolated Native American reservations. To date, the organization has provided over 1.9 million meals to communities across the U.S.   The new food bank will also support Conscious Alliance‚Äôs ‚ÄúBring Nutrition Home‚Äù backpack program at Loneman School. 100 percent of the students at Loneman School on Pine Ridge Reservation receive free and reduced breakfast and lunch, and 194 of the 250 students are considered to be homeless based on of their temporary or substandard living situation. With the backpack program, every Friday each student is sent home with healthy food and snacks, providing nutrition on the weekend.   Conscious Alliance is bringing products to the new food bank from several partners including Justin‚Äôs, Boom-Chicka-Pop, KIND Snacks, WhiteWave Foods and Plum Organics.   ‚ÄúAt Plum Organics, we are committed to delivering nutrient rich, organic food into the hands of little ones in need across America. Our partnership with Conscious Alliance enables us to reach more children through their programs including the opening of the food bank which will have an immediate and long term positive impact within the Pine Ridge community,‚Äù said Neil Grimmer, co-founder and CEO of Plum Organics.   A large portion of these partner products will support the aforementioned backpack program.   ###   ¬† About Conscious Alliance Conscious Alliance is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to supporting communities in crisis. Based in Boulder, Colo., Conscious Alliance supports communities through its three-tier approach: Emergency food relief to communities across the United States, empowerment programs for youth in impoverished regions of the country, and nutrition, exercise and gardening education for youth in economically isolated Native American reservations. Conscious Alliance operates through ongoing grassroots food collection and hunger awareness programs, in part by organizing food drives at concerts and music events. The donations collected benefit local food pantries nationwide and economically isolated Native American reservations. Conscious Alliance works with a myriad of companies and organizations which allow them to further their mission of providing life changing and life enhancing programs to the communities they serve.  

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