Madison Northside Planning Council

The feed kitchens is a 5,400 square foot commercial kitchen, food business incubator and local food manufacturing facility. In 2023, feed supported 90 commercial businesses and 24 nonprofit/community groups. 70% of the commercial businesses at feed are owned by minority entrepreneurs and another 50% owned by women entrepreneurs. These businesses generated nearly $2.3 million revenue and created 29 full time and 59 part time jobs. Feed also acts as a hub for local food processing, vocational training, food recovery work by healthy food for all, nonprofit and community use, and as an event venue for residents and corporations. In addition to the state-of-the-art facilities in the building, feed offers valuable business development services, coaching and relationship development throughout the local food system.in 2023 feed kitchens had multiple businesses graduate from our facility/services and move to their own production spaces and as we move into our tenth year of operation, graduations are becoming more frequent. Our signature events for 2023 were the black restaurant week jamboree, which took place in august and saw thousands of people visit our parking lot to shop from and celebrate black-owned food businesses throughout ourregion and the return post-pandemic of taste the future, an eating event featuring 10 feed kitchens entrepreneurs each offering 2 small plate tastings of their cuisine.

Healthy food for all (hffa) has been a program of Madison Northside Planning Council since 2016 and specializes in the recovery and distribution of excess prepared food from events and cafeterias as well as produce from area farms. With the the second year of of an equitable recovery grant from the state of wi department of administration, hffa was able to continue expanded services to recover and distribute food. In 2023, hffa recovered and distributed 173,000 pounds of prepared food and 147,000 pounds of produce to food pantries and other local partners. Besides food recovery and distribution, hffa works to educate the public about food waste and food recovery issues as it relates to both food insecurity and climate change mitigation efforts.

The feed bakery training program provides vocational training for underemployed, low-income residents. No classes were able to be held in 2021 due to the pandemic and in 2022 we restructured the program to reduce class size and pay our students as interns while they are learning. In 2023 we were able to continue offering the paid bakery internship/training and proceeded with multiple class sessions each including 2-3 interns. Students receivehands-on training and experience by producing feed bakery products, which are sold retail and wholesale around Madison. We provide students with life skills training as well as sales, marketing and customer service skills. Training also includes culinary techniques, knife skills, commercial kitchen equipment use, food safety, baking practices, product packaging and baking math. At program completion, students take their servsafe test to help make them a more valuable employee to prospective employers. Students receive job placement support and are offered a mentor to assist them in navigating the employment world.