Contact: Ellen Barnard
(608) 576-3734
(MADISON, Wis.) – The Northside Planning Council is seeking to raise the remaining $775,000 needed to construct and open its Food Enterprise and Economic Development (FEED) Kitchens project later this year.
Funds already committed for the food business incubator to be located on the north side could be lost if new commitments are not raised by August 1, according to FEED Kitchens Chair Ellen Barnard.
“For FEED Kitchens to help people grow their businesses and gain job skills, we need to clear this last hurdle,” Barnard said. “All donations go into helping our local economy.”
The facility is a self-sustaining commercial kitchen for non-profit and for-profit use. Madison College, REAP Food Group, local caterers and food cart vendors are among the groups already signed up to use FEED Kitchens.
In addition to helping individuals gain job skills, FEED Kitchens anticipates 25-35 full-time food-related jobs will be created each year that the facility is open.
The Madison Community Foundation, Madison Gas & Electric, A Woman’s Touch, Webcrafters Inc., City of Madison Community Development Block Grants and Buy Local-Buy Wisconsin have already made financial commitments.
The Food Enterprise and Economic Development (FEED) Kitchens will provide tools to help youth and adults who are disadvantaged, unemployed or underemployed develop skills that move them toward self-sufficiency. FEED will reduce hunger and increase the availability of healthy local food by providing organizations serving the hungry, gardeners and farmers a place to process excess produce that would otherwise end up in a landfill or compost pile. For more information, please visit http://www.feedkitchens.org.
