Badger Prairie Needs Network’s Farm to Pantry initiative is a new way to keep fresh food on the table for vulnerable populations in the Madison area. The Badger Prairie Needs Network food pantry served 87,000 people in 2024. Pantry director Tracy Burton says everybody, including people experiencing food insecurity, should have access to fresh, clean food in their homes. When the Local Food Purchase Assistance funding was cut in March, Wyss and Burton were shocked. For Badger Prairie, the end of ARPA funding and the termination of the Local Food Purchase Assistance program put 65,000 pounds of fresh food at risk.