Mad Can

media release: The Mad Can Food Drive is in its second year and gives diners the chance to eat local and give local.

During the entire month of February, there are two ways that people can help fight food insecurity in the Madison community and surrounding areas:

{Option 1}

DINE at any of the 20+ participating Madison Originals restaurants and bring non-perishable food items to leave in the collection bins. Restaurants include:

107 State (Madison)

1847 at the Stamm House (Middleton)

Banzo (Madison)

Buck & Honey's (Monona, Mt. Horeb, Sun Prairie, & Waunakee)

Crema Cafe (Monona)

Driftless Social (Mt. Horeb)

Essen Haus (Madison)

Grape Water Wine Bar (Middleton)

Lombardino's (Madison)

Longtable Beer Cafe (Middleton)

Mariner's Inn (Madison)

Nitty Gritty (Madison, Middleton, & Sun Prairie)

The Old Feed Mill (Mazomanie)

Ollie's (Fitchburg)

Quivey's Grove (Fitchburg)

Short Stack Eatery (Madison)

Tipsy Cow (Madison & Sun Prairie)

Yola's Cafe (Madison)

{Option 2}

DONATE directly to any of the four participating food pantries (by clicking the pantry name below)

• Badger Prairie Needs Network
• The River Food Pantry
• Sun Prairie Emergency Food Pantry
• WayForward Resources

The drive comes at a critical time for local food pantries like ours, which have seen the need continue to rise in the last year or more -- visits to WayForward's pantry are up 100% from a year ago. The number of people in Wisconsin without enough to eat over two one-week periods increased 112% between 2021 and 2023, according to Census data.  We received many generous food drives from the community during the holiday season, but the need doesn't come to an end with the holidays, so this drive has the chance to make a real difference.