Badger Prairie Needs Network Grand Opening

The Badger Prairie Needs Network (BPNN), formerly the Verona Area Needs Network, invites the public in to see its new expanded food pantry, nutrition education center with fully licensed commercial kitchen, and community resource spaces at a public grand opening this Sunday, August 23 from 1 – 4 pm.  

The open house will feature facility tours, cooking demonstrations and tastings in the Prairie Kitchen, family entertainment, and food provided by local supporters including Whole Foods, Bunky’s Café, Liliana’s, Kiwanis Club of Verona, Orange Leaf Yogurt, Tuvalu, and Park Bank.  

Students and alumni from Verona Area High School’s exemplary food drive and ProStart culinary programs will be in the Prairie Kitchen showing off ways to use summer produce. They’ll use products and produce donated by Whole Foods and the many families who are growing fresh vegetables and donating them to the pantry. Teacher Megan Wenn introduced the ProStart program at VAHS three years ago which offers industry-developed culinary curriculum, professional mentored work experience, and competitions that help students jump-start their careers or prepare them for college culinary, restaurant, and hospitality programs. To date, they haven’t had commercial kitchen equipment to use in their training which was very limiting and didn’t allow them to share their prepared foods with others outside the school. Starting this fall, they’ll be holding their hands-on classes at BPNN’s Prairie Kitchen which gives them more real world experience and enables food pantry patrons to be the recipients of all their creations.  

ProStart alum Danny Adler is in the process of opening a local bar and grill and alum Brennan Lightfoot is working at Whole Foods. They, along with Megan Wenn and VAHS culinary students, will be working in the kitchen during the grand opening and will be happy to talk about their experiences.