Category: Client news

FEED Kitchens Breaks Ground on Facility

Posted on by Brian Lee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 3, 2013

Contact: Ellen Barnard

(608) 576-3734

FEED Kitchens Breaks Ground on Facility

(MADISON, Wis.)—Food Enterprise and Economic Development (FEED) Kitchens broke ground today on its planned food business incubator at Northgate Shopping Center with the hopes of opening its doors to local food entrepreneurs in September.

“We are so excited to have taken the next step in the process today,” Ellen Barnard, FEED Kitchens chair, said. “The groundbreaking signifies that we are getting closer to supporting more locally produced food for the community.”

The 5,400-square foot facility will include five commercial kitchens, with specialized equipment for baking; produce preparation and processing; and deli prep and meat processing.

FEED selected Engineered Construction, Inc, as the general contractor and Iconica as the architect. Construction is expected to begin immediately and conclude by August.

Major donors include The Madison Community Foundation, Madison Gas & Electric Foundation, A Woman’s Touch, Lotions Limited LLC, City of Madison Community Development Block Grants, Pleasant Rowland Foundation, Willy Street Coop and the State of Wisconsin through the Buy Local-Buy Wisconsin.

Currently, Madison College, REAP Food Group, Community Action Coalition, Yum Tum Organic Baby Food, Mad City Fry Guy Food Cart, Polly’s Preserves & Jams, Stubborn Mule Catering and Dean’s Xpress Catering are committed to using the facility.

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 www.feedkitchens.org

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Resulting media coverage:

FEED Kitchens Selects Northgate for New Location

Posted on by Brian Lee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 5, 2012

Contact: Ellen Barnard
(608) 576-3734

FEED Kitchens Selects Northgate for New Location

(MADISON, Wis.) – Citing higher visibility and a decrease in fundraising needs, Food Enterprise and Economic Development (FEED) Kitchens selected the Northgate Shopping Center for the new location of its food business incubator, the organization announced today.

“The Northgate location has a lot of advantages, such as easy access by bus and the support of local businesses such as Food Fight Restaurant Group,” FEED Kitchens Chair Ellen Barnard said. “We are excited to begin supporting local food entrepreneurs in the upcoming year.”

Groundbreaking for the new location, which will take just under a half-acre of space in the shopping center’s parking lot, is slated for March 1, 2013, and the anticipated opening of the facility is August 2013, just in time to process next season’s harvest. Pankratz Road near the airport was the original site.

As previously announced, the FEED facility will include five commercial kitchens, with specialized equipment for baking; produce preparation and processing; and deli prep and meat processing. The space will be available for non-profit and for-profit use, with Madison College, REAP Food Group, local caterers and food cart vendors among the first groups to sign up to use FEED Kitchens.

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 www.feedkitchens.org.

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Resulting media coverage:

Capital Campaign Will Help FEED Kitchens Break Ground This Year

Posted on by Brian Lee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 27, 2012

Contact: Ellen Barnard
(608) 576-3734

Capital Campaign Will Help FEED Kitchens Break Ground This Year

(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 www.feedkitchens.org.

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