NEWS & HAPPENINGS

KING ARTHUR BAKING COMPANY ANNOUNCES RISING PARTNERSHIP TO SUPPORT MILL VILLAGE FARMS IN GREENVILLE, SC

**King Arthur Baking Company presenting their three-year commitment and support to Mill Village Farms**

King Arthur Baking Company, the country’s premier baking resource, is proud to announce its partnership with Mill Village Farms, a social enterprise of the local nonprofit organization, Mill Village Ministries, based in Greenville, SC. Mill Village Farms is an urban farm and produce distributor that exists to provide healthy produce, youth employment, and food system education for Greenville residents. Mill Village Farms’ FoodShare Greenville program is a biweekly produce box program that addresses food insecurity and makes healthy eating affordable and accessible for families. Each FoodShare produce box is filled with 10-12 varieties of fruits and vegetables and is for low-to-moderate-income community members. FoodShare Greenville serves an average of 700-1,000 families every other week year-round. The King Arthur Baking Company is initiating its partnership with Mill Village Farms with the first installment of their donation of $30,000 to support access to healthy food for community members.

The media event will take place on Wednesday, December 13th, at 1:00 pm at FoodShare Greenville’s drive-thru location at the Buck Mickel Center, which is located at 216 S. Pleasantburg Dr., Greenville, SC 29607. Karen Colberg, Chief Executive Officer, will be present to express King Arthur's dedication to creating lasting positive change within the Greenville community.

“As a Benefit Corporation, King Arthur Baking is rooted in our purpose to be good stewards of the communities in which we operate and live. We are grateful to be part of the Greenville community this holiday season and look forward to continuing this connection over the next three years through our support of Mill Village Farms’ work ensuring Greenville families have access to healthy food,” said Karen Colberg, CEO of King Arthur Baking Company.

King Arthur Baking Company has generously donated hundreds of bags of their all-purpose flour to be included in this week’s distribution of FoodShare’s produce boxes. In addition, healthy cooking demonstrations will be led using King Arthur flour and Mill Village Farms’ produce. The product donation will help support local families this holiday season and will be accompanied by healthy recipes.

“We are immensely grateful for the support from King Arthur Baking Company through their generous partnership,” said Dan Weidenbenner, Executive Director of Mill Village Ministries. “Their commitment to our organization will help strengthen our ability to address the needs of our community and ensure everyone in our community has access to good and nutritious food regardless of where they live or how much they make.”

King Arthur Baking Company’s first-ever pop-up shop is located at 640 South Main St., Greenville, SC 29601. The store is filled with holiday baking essentials, including baking ingredients, mixes, utensils, and gifts. The holiday pop-up shop is open Tuesday-Sunday through this weekend and, as inventory allows, until December 22nd. All King Arthur products and baking resources can be found at www.kingarthurbaking.com.

For more information on Mill Village Farms’ community impact, please visit www.millvillagefarms.org or follow @millvillagefarms on Instagram and Facebook. To learn more about King Arthur Baking Company, visit www.kingarthurbaking.com and follow @kingarthurbaking on Instagram and Facebook.

MOTLEY FOOL RECOGNIZES WEIDENBENNER AS RULE BREAKER

DAN WEIDENBENNER, SOCIAL INNOVATOR, FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF MILL VILLAGE MINISTRIES, JOINS THE MOTLEY FOOL FOUNDATION’S INAUGURAL COHORT OF FINANCIAL FREEDOM RULE BREAKERS

ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 1, 2023 – The Motley Fool Foundation (TMFF), a public charity dedicated to Financial Freedom for all, has announced that Dan Weidenbenner, founder and executive director of Mill Village Ministries, will be joining its first cohort of Financial Freedom Rule Breakers.

“The Motley Fool Foundation’s signature program, Financial Freedom Rule Breakers, is aiming to bridge the gap between the five drivers of Financial Freedom – housing, work, money, health and education – and help fewer Americans live paycheck to paycheck,” said Jennifer Gennaro Oxley, executive director of The Motley Fool Foundation.

Mill Village Ministries is the parent organization of a collection of social entrepreneurs working together to elevate the Greenville, South Carolina, community. The organization currently operates Village Launch, a grassroots entrepreneur and small business incubator; Village Wrench, a community-based bike shop; Mill Village Farms, an urban farm, youth employment, and healthy food enterprise; and Village Engage, a faith-based community education and organizing platform that focuses on confronting the systemic problems of poverty, racism, and environmental inequity.

“Mill Village Ministries started when community members and I began teaching four teenagers to grow nutritious food for communities with limited access to fresh and locally sourced produce,” said Weidenbenner. “Thanks to The Motley Fool Foundation’s Rule Breakers program, Mill Village Ministries will continue to grow to meet the community’s needs.”

By investing in Rule Breakers like Weidenbenner, The Motley Fool Foundation is currently impacting more than 115,000 lives and is on track to grow its program to fund 25 Financial Freedom Rule Breakers by 2025.

Contact: media@foolfoundation.org 202.997.1054

“It takes a special kind of person to create breakthroughs, and The Motley Fool Foundation is finding them, connecting them, learning from them, and helping them go further, faster,” said Oxley. “Our Financial Freedom Rule Breakers are social innovators bringing fresh, solutions-oriented thinking and paving the way toward a better equilibrium for all.”

For more information on The Motley Fool Foundation or Mill Village Ministries, or to schedule an interview, please email media@foolfoundation.org.

About The Motley Fool

Founded in 1993 in Alexandria, VA, by brothers David and Tom Gardner, The Motley Fool Holdings Inc. is a financial services company dedicated to making the world smarter, happier, and richer. The Motley Fool reaches millions of people around the globe every day through its innovative investing solutions, podcasts, books, newspaper column, and media appearances.

About The Motley Fool Foundation

The Motley Fool Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity creating pathways to Financial Freedom for those living paycheck to paycheck by finding, funding, and amplifying innovative solutions that enable strivers to become thrivers. Learn more about The Motley Fool Foundation online at www.foolfoundation.org or on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter @FoolFoundation.

About Mill Village Ministries

Mill Village Ministries is a faith-based family of nonprofit enterprises that elevates its community through social justice, healthy food, bicycle access, youth employment, and entrepreneurial training in Greenville, SC. Learn more about Mill Village Ministries at www.millcommunity.org or contact info@millcommunity.org for program support.

MILL VILLAGE MINISTRIES’ REVAMPED VILLAGE LAUNCH MARKET OPENS MAY 6

MILL VILLAGE MINISTRIES’ NEWLY NAMED VILLAGE LAUNCH MARKET IS MOVING TO THE FIRST SATURDAY OF THE MONTH.

Formerly known as the Third Thursday Market, the market returns for its third season from noon to 4 p.m. May 6 at the West Greenville Plaza, at the corner of Pendleton and Burdette streets. The market runs through December.

With a focus on supporting local minority- and women-owned businesses, the market shines a light on some of Greenville’s up-and-coming entrepreneurs.

“The Village Launch Market is more than a market. It’s an incredible opportunity for the Greenville community to come together to support our entrepreneurs and for entrepreneurs to connect, collaborate and grow their businesses,” said Dan Weidenbenner, executive director of Mill Village Ministries. “Our entrepreneurs can showcase their products and services in a family-friendly environment. It’s inspiring to see the positive impact that the Village Launch Market is having on our community.”

Fueled by the engineering-construction company Fluor, the Village Launch Market provides startups with an opportunity to expand their community outreach and network with other local businesses. This season also comes with a location change, as the market moves from its former spot at Poe West to the plaza on Pendleton Street.

The market will feature more than 20 businesses that have participated in Village Launch’s entrepreneurial training programs. A wide variety of items such as jewelry, skin-care products, baked goods, herbal tea and more will be sold at the market.

“Economic development and community involvement is a major focus area for Fluor,” said Jennifer Foelske, general manager of Fluor’s Greenville office. “We believe Fluor’s partnership with Mill Village Ministries and their Village Launch Market will not only further empower minority- and women-owned businesses to flourish in Greenville, but also honors the history of West Greenville and the hard work, creativity and culture of its residents.”

Along with the market’s partnership with Fluor, the city of Greenville’s marketing and tourism teams have worked closely with Village Launch to support and provide resources to participating businesses.

“The city of Greenville is delighted to expand its partnership with Village Launch and welcome the market to a new location,” said Mayor Knox White. “Providing a high-visibility space for emerging founders not only supports minority businesses financially, it allows our community to see innovation in action. The founders who display their work at the Village Launch Market are ambassadors for Greenville’s entrepreneurial spirit.”

To promote a lively family-friendly atmosphere, the market will also include live music, food trucks and children’s activities.

For more information about the market, visit villagelaunchmarket.com.