Public Health Madison & Dane County

Hunger Close To Home: Tackling Food Insecurity In Dane County

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Imagine not knowing where your next meal will come from. Imagine trying to choose between paying rent and buying groceries. For thousands of people right here in Dane County, this is a daily reality. In this blog post, we’ll break down the basics of food insecurity, who is most impacted, and what is being done to end hunger in Dane County.

What is food insecurity?

grocery cart nearly empty grocery store

Food security is the state of having reliable access to enough affordable, nutritious food for everyone in a household at all times. Food insecurity happens when at least one person in the household experiences insufficient or uncertain access to food at some point in the year.

In simple terms, food insecurity means that some people don’t always have enough food to eat. Sometimes they run out of food or can’t get the nutritious foods they need to stay healthy.

  • 1 in 10 Households Facing Hunger in Dane County

The Reality in Dane County

According to our recent report, published in collaboration with Second Harvest, Food Insecurity in Dane County, nearly 1 in 10 households (9%) experience food insecurity. This means more than 42,000 people are at risk of not knowing where their next meal will come from. Here are some key takeaways from the report:

Food insecurity doesn’t affect us all equally.

In Dane County, food insecurity is more prevalent among people of color. Black and Latino/Hispanic households are two to three times more likely to experience food insecurity compared to white households.

FoodShare and food pantry participation has increased. 

Dane County emergency food distribution hit an all-time high in in 2024. The six largest food pantries in Dane County reported an 112% average increase in family visits from 2021 to 2023.

12% of children were food insecure in 2022.

Food insecurity can dramatically shape a child’s future. In childhood, food security supports physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development. Children from food insecure households are more likely to have challenges in school and learning.

Why is this happening?

The unequal access of food is mainly caused by unfair distribution of resources. Things like income, job opportunities, transportation, and nearby grocery stores all affect whether a family can get enough healthy food. Race and where people live can make these problems even worse. The main reasons for food insecurity and economic inequality come from bigger issues in the way our food system works.

What’s being done?

Madison and Dane County are working to address food insecurity in a variety of ways:

  • Local government leadership through food councils & programs
  • Supporting a robust emergency food system including pantries and other institutions
  • Increasing access to nutritious and culturally responsive foods
  • Investing in infrastructure
  • Strengthening local food system partner networks

How can we help?

You may be reading this and wondering how you can help. Many food pantries and meal programs rely heavily on their volunteers. The Community Action Coalition for South-Central Wisconsin has a full list of pantries in Dane County in one place. If you’re not able to donate your time, you can donate things like food, money, or supplies to help support the community.

Read the full report on food security in Dane County here or look through the summary.

This content is free for use with credit to Public Health Madison & Dane County .

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