RELEASE: Food Well Alliance Partners with Center for Civic Innovation

FOOD WELL ALLIANCE ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP 
WITH CENTER FOR CIVIC INNOVATION
Collaboration will build capacity of Atlanta's local food movement 
through new Food Innovation Network

  
ATLANTA – July 28, 2015 – Food Well Alliance, a nonprofit leader in building healthier communities through local food, announced today that it will partner with the Center for Civic Innovation (CCI) to launch a new Food Innovation Network. The Food Innovation Network will provide skill-building trainings and business advisory services to entrepreneurs, educators and community organizers working with local food in metro Atlanta.

"Our collaboration with Center for Civic Innovation leverages what they do so well: bringing together local agencies, non-profits and businesses to connect through unique capacity building programs," said Bobbi de Winter, executive director - Food Well Alliance. "In order for locally grown food to reach more people, Atlanta's local food movement needs leaders who have the business acumen and the organizational expertise to connect more growers and consumers around food system innovations and ventures that ultimately build healthier communities."

Food Well Alliance will offer 50 scholarships to local food entrepreneurs, educators and community organizers to join the Food Innovation Network hosted by Center for Civic Innovation. In addition to receiving one-year access to CCI's monthly skill-building workshops and trainings, Food Innovation Network members will benefit from quarterly educational events from local food experts and notable speakers, an online platform to share resources and pursue potential collaborations, and access to panel conversations with local food funders.

"We can't keep doing the same old same," said Center for Civic Innovation's executive director, Rohit Molhotra. "People should not have to choose between eating and paying their rent, or between eating and getting an education. Our communities deserve better. Food Well Alliance's commitment to investing in new, innovative approaches to these longstanding challenges around food make them the perfect partner for this initiative."

Those who receive a Food Well Alliance scholarship to the Food Innovation Network also will be eligible to apply for CCI partner-level benefits. Ten members will be selected to receive private one-on-one business and financial advising and two free room rentals at the Center for Civic Innovation's 4,000 sq. ft. office in the historic M. Rich Building in downtown Atlanta.

"Food Well Alliance connects cross-sector leaders and mobilizes funds to support systemic and collaborative solutions to increase local food production, processing, distribution, consumption and recovery," said de Winter. "We also mobilize community capital to invest in people and organizations that are building healthier communities with innovative and systemic solutions to Atlanta's local food challenges."

Food Well Alliance and Center for Civic Innovation will officially launch the Food Innovation Network with an event on July 30, 2015 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the beautiful CCI event space located at 115 M.L.K. Jr. Dr. NW, Atlanta, GA 30303.

ABOUT FOOD WELL ALLIANCE
Food Well Alliance, formed in partnership with Atlanta Community Food Bank, exists to connect members of Atlanta's local food movement around building healthier communities, transforming our local food system and improving our lives. As a connector, Food Well Alliance connects the people, ideas and resources that are working to build healthier communities with one thing in common - local food. As a promoter, Food Well Alliance seeks to promote and support leadership and innovation within the movement. And as a grant maker, Food Well Alliance mobilizes capital - both human and financial - to invest in leaders, innovators and educators that are moving local food forward and strengthening our food system. For more information, visit www.foodwellalliance.org, like us onFacebook and follow us on Twitter.

ABOUT CENTER FOR CIVIC INNOVATION
The Center for Civic Innovation (CCI) builds and supports networks of people around key community challenges, such as food security and STE(A)M education. Additionally, through a process called Civic Labs, CCI connects social entrepreneurs to constrained public agencies and nonprofits through pay for performance contracts, reducing risk for the public agency and giving the entrepreneur what they want and need most: a customer. In addition, CCI provides capacity building services to local governments, nonprofits, and businesses to help them better engage and connect with their local communities. For more information, visit www.civicatlanta.org.

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Jamie Donaldson, on behalf of Food Well Alliance
jdonaldson@c21pr.com 
404.814.1330

Anamarie Shreeves, Food Well Alliance
anamarie@foodwellalliance.org 

Elyse Klova, Center for Civic Innovation
elyse@civicatlanta.org