About UsThe Badger Prairie Needs Network (BPNN) is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting poverty and ending hunger locally. In our 36th year of continuous operation, BPNN operates a food pantry that serves food insecure households throughout Dane County, Wisconsin. When COVID is not impacting operations, we offer a free community meal on 1st and 3rd Saturdays each month, nutrition education & culinary classes in our commercial-grade kitchen, access to a Joining Forces for Families social worker, and free legal advocacy focused on ending homelessness and leveling the playing field for people with limited financial means. Our activities are guided by a board of directors, program directors, and over 1,100 community members who are all volunteers.
In 2022 BPNN distributed over 1.5 million lbs. of food and helped feed an average of 3,000 individuals each month. Most of the households we support have someone working for wage (65%) but they simply don't earn enough to make ends meet. The rest are individuals with disabilities, senior citizens on fixed incomes, and folks who have fallen on tough times or are temporarily unemployed. Over 38% of those BPNN helped feed last year were children. Also in 2022, BPNN opened the Kasieta Center, a 4,800 SQFT addition that comfortably accommodates 144 people for meals and more for meetings. The Center is used for new volunteer orientations, our free community meal, career fairs, winter farmers market, and job training in partnership with the Latino Academy of Workforce Development. Call (608) 848-2499 or email info@BPNN.org
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A video describing the work going on at BPNN featuring our volunteers, patrons, and community partners this summer. Thanks to producer Kelly Kloepping, videographer and editor Andrew Bamlett, and interviewer Jeremy Crosby!
Tour BPNN with past-Executive Director, Marcia Kasieta
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