The Northside Planning Council is proud to introduce our first economic development project for the Madison area, the Food Enterprise & Economic Development Kitchens.

We will be breaking ground in 2012 on a shared-use food processing kitchen and food business incubator to help aspiring entrepreneurs  start and grow local food businesses, as well as training potential bakery & food service workers to develop new marketable job skills.

It will be many things to many people, including:

  • a commercial kitchen for rent by caterers, food cart operators, farmers, and other value-added food producers
  • a supportive location for food entrepreneurs to start food-related businesses
  • a place that supports the development of food-related employment
  • a place to learn bakery production and kitchen skills

Our goal is to increase the availability of locally produced, healthy, and affordable food products in South Central Wisconsin and beyond.

For more details on this project, please visit the FEED KITCHENS Web Site Here >>.

FEED Kitchens Crowdfunding Campaign

Team FEED has launched a crowdfunding campaign to continue our efforts to get the FEED Kitchens open and operating successfully in 2013. We need everyone’s help, and hope that you, your friends, family and co-workers will help us meet our goal to raise $35,000 through this campaign. We’re $125,000 from our goal…and every donation that comes in takes us one step closer.  (Note that the $125,000 will position us to take out a loan and ideally we would like to raise beyond $125,000).

How can you help?
First, donate…every $1 counts. Visit http:www.bitly.com/FEEDKitchens and make your contribution.
Second, share this email with everyone you know, with a note explaining why you support FEED, and why you hope they will too.
Third, post this on your Facebook page and ask all your friends, local and otherwise, to spread the word about this fundraising effort. You can post this link on Facebook so folks can get to the donation page:

<a href=”http://www.razoo.com/story/Feed-Kitchens-Project?referral_code=sw“><img alt=”Online fundraising for FEED Kitchens Project” src=”http://assets2.razoo.com/status/razoo/basic/Feed-Kitchens-Project.png” /></a>

Remind everyone that their donations are tax deductible, and will result in the following good work happening:
1. The Farm to Table healthy snack program will have a permanent home in which to prepare snacks for Madison schoolchildren who qualify for free and reduced-fee lunches. 2. We will be processing local produce to go into the Madison Public Schools new salad bar program.

3. We will offer new food entrepreneurs an affordable place to explore their dreams to start and grow their food businesses. 4. The River Food Pantry and Madison Urban Ministry will be able to launch a job training program and wholesale food business that will teach bakery and food service skills to unemployed, underemployed and disadvantaged youth and adults, helping them get long-term stable jobs with reasonable pay and benefits.

If you have any questions, please let me know. I will be sending out email reminders to everyone weekly to encourage the wide sharing of this effort.
Thank you,
Ellen Barnard FEED Kitchens Project Chair
www.feedkitchens.org

Connect with and follow FEED Kitchens on Facebook and Twitter!