VERONA, Wis. — Badger Prairie Needs Network feeds hundreds of families every week, and it's all because of their volunteers. 

What You Need To Know

  • Badger Prairie Needs Network is one of the three largest food pantries in Dane County

  • They serve more than 400 families every week

  • All of the staff are volunteers

  • They're feeding about five times the number of people they did pre-pandemic 

Badger Prairie Needs Network is almost always busy. 

During its open hours, the food pantry is packed with families. That means they need the shelves to be packed, too. 

Every day, they pick up food from retail stores like Hy-Vee, Festival Foods and Costco. That food doesn’t last long. It’s usually gone by the end of the day. 

“We’ve been around since 1986,” said Lisa Marshall, the communications director for the pantry. “We started out in the United Salem Church of Christ, a closet in the church.”

The pantry serves more than 400 families in Dane County every week. 

And it’s full of volunteers. There are three people who work full-time hours, but the rest are part-time. Not a single one of them gets paid. 

“We’re serving five times the number of households than we did pre-pandemic,” said Tracy Burton, director of the food pantry. “The miracle of it is we’re doing it with only 50% more volunteer hours.”

Those interested in volunteering can visit the Badger Prairie Needs Network website.

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