No one should have to go hungry
Food insecurity is more common than we think. Feeding America projected that 42 million people (1 in 8), including 13 million children (1 in 6), would experience food insecurity in 2021. United Madison wants to provide a hub for resources and information on this often overlooked, but very real issue.
Food Resources in the madison area
Badger Prairie Needs Network (BPNN)
Badger Prairie Needs Network (BPNN)
Badger Prairie Needs Network (BPNN)
BPNN operates one of the busiest food pantries in Dane County, Wisconsin. The pantry, which started in a church closet in 1986, now serves all of Dane County with a 100% volunteer staff. BPNN has expanded its service area to include all households in Dane County, implemented curbside pick-up, and increased the number of visits to two per month.
Extended Hands Pantry
Badger Prairie Needs Network (BPNN)
Badger Prairie Needs Network (BPNN)
Established in 2019, Extended Hands Pantry aims to serve area families and individuals with compassionate acts of love. It's founders have been engaged in battling hunger for over twenty years and developed extensive and comprehensive knowledge of local food systems and food needs.
Goodman Community Center (GCC)
Badger Prairie Needs Network (BPNN)
Madison Area Food Pantry Gardens
GCC is committed to creating and maintaining a community that respects and values diverse life experiences. From the Fritz food pantry, Hunger Heroes drive, Thanksgiving baskets, and countless other initiatives, GCC has been dedicated to solving the problem of hunger in our community. Learn more by clicking below and navigating to 'Services' and/or 'Events.'
Madison Area Food Pantry Gardens
Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD)
Madison Area Food Pantry Gardens
Madison Area Food Pantry Gardens (MAFPG) has a 20-year history reducing food waste and supplying fresh produce to the Dane County emergency food system.In a typical year, MAFPG supplies up to 100,000 pounds of produce (2 million pounds in the past 21 years) through the collaboration of over 700 volunteers and community partners each year (10,000 volunteers in the past 21 years).
Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD)
Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD)
Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD)
The Madison School District is stepping up its food distribution program for the fall, offering free meals for all students at 40 school sites and providing five days’ worth of food at one time.
Click on the link below for information.
Middleton Outreach Ministry (MOM)
Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD)
Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD)
Mom was founded 40 years ago when community members of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church recognized there were neighbors that could use their assistance. Their work is still made possible by our community including more than 400 regular volunteers and 8,000 current donors. In fact, MOM is 100% funded by the community and does not rely on any government support.
Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin
Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin
Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin
Second Harvest exists to end hunger in Southwestern Wisconsin working together with hundreds of local food relief charities to distribute food to families in 16 counties. Between March 15 and August 15, 2020, Second Harvest distributed 65% more food compared to the same time period in 2019!
The River Food Pantry
Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin
Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin
The River Food Pantry, serving over 1,000 diverse households each week, is South Central Wisconsin’s busiest food pantry. Their services include free groceries for curbside or delivery, online grocery orders, freshly prepared to-go meals, and mobile lunches for children and adults in low-income neighborhoods. They partner with local organizations to minimize food waste and improve access to reliable sources of food.
United Way of Dane County
Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin
United Way of Dane County
The United Way of Dane County runs a free information service 24/7 designed to connect those in need with service providers; including those looking for an emergency food resource. Just dial 211 on your phone, give them your zip code, and they will tell you where the nearest emergency food provider.
UW Madison Campus
UW Madison Campus
United Way of Dane County
University Housing provides an average of 250 meals a week to students in need as part of the Food Recovery Pre-Package Program. Cooked and unserved food from dining markets are packaged and then frozen. UW-Madison students who may need a meal can stop by The Crossing Christian Center and grab one.
Little Pantries
One City Schools
Prairie Road Pantry
One City Schools
Located at 2012 Fisher Street, Madison, WI 53713.
Donations can be left by the front door at the school
Healing House
Prairie Road Pantry
One City Schools
Located at 303 Lathrop Street, Madison, WI 53726.
Please see current SIGN UP list of needed items. Donations can be left prior to each Wednesday in the Rubbermaid bin on the front porch.
Prairie Road Pantry
Prairie Road Pantry
Prairie Road Pantry
Located at 1417 Prairie Road, Madison, WI 53711.
Donations can be dropped off anytime. Most needed items are toiletries, diapers, and snacks.
Hunger in our community
Feeding America projected that 42 million people (1 in 8), including 13 million children (1 in 6), would experience food insecurity in 2021. In Wisconsin alone 530,500 people (1 in 11) are facing hunger - and of them 179,160 are children (1 in 7).
This reflects an improvement relative to their updated 2020 projections, which can be attributed to the economic situation - actual unemployment and estimated poverty levels have been lower than many experts originally predicted – as well as the federal response, which has played an important role in mitigating the crisis.
While the improvements are good news, food insecurity levels that they are projecting are still elevated compared to before COVID-19. Further, the pandemic and economic crisis have not been evenly experienced across the U.S. population. Many people who have been most impacted were food insecure or at risk of food insecurity before COVID and are facing greater hardship since COVID.
Thanks to the generosity of of the private sector (individuals, corporations, foundations and communities), the charitable food sector, including the 200 Feeding America member food banks, were able to rise to the occasion to provide food and benefits assistance to tens of millions of people, many for the first time. During 2020, the Feeding America network distributed 6.1 billion meals (7.5 billion pounds of food), a 44% increase over the previous year, because of the food bankers, volunteers, and partner agencies that stood on the front line to ensure their neighbors had the food they needed.
However, the pandemic is not yet over, and the future remains tenuous for people who have experienced uncertain access to enough food for their families. It is likely that it will take time for food insecurity levels to recover. After the Great Recession, it took nearly ten years, until 2018, for food insecurity to prerecession levels, and even then, 37 million people were still at risk of hunger. While it may be likely that economic conditions will improve more quickly for some this time around, it will take continued support and public-private partnership across the government, the private sector, and the charitable food system to achieve our vision of an America where no one is hungry.
