Supporting Food Security

The Scope of Food Insecurity

In Dane County: 

Food Safety Nets Are More Important Than Ever

Food insecurity is directly tied to cost of living. 

• When people don’t have enough money, they can’t buy enough food. If they can buy food, they may not be able to buy enough variety of nutritious foods (think surviving off of beans and rice). 
• Food prices have increased over the last few years. CBS News reports food prices increased by 18.2% from January 2022 to September 2025 (data from Consumer Price Index).  
• In Dane County in 2023, 10% of families lived under the federal poverty level, and an additional 26% of families lived under the ALICE threshold. ALICE, or Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed, captures families that earn more than the poverty level but earn less than the cost of living. Financial hardship in Dane County varies by where people live and their race and ethnicity. 

SNAP (FoodShare) is an important safety net.

In Dane County:  

• FoodShare is also known as SNAP, EBT, or food stamps. It provides supplemental dollars for families with lower incomes to afford enough food so that fewer people go hungry. 
• FoodShare helps people with lower incomes, people who are retired, and people who are disabled and can't work. There are requirements to sign up, and you have to sign up in the state you live in. 
• Many different people use FoodShare, including older adults, people with disabilities, and people with young children. 
• FoodShare does not usually replace a family’s full grocery bill. In Dane County in Oct 2025, the average monthly amount families received was $312. 
• Learn more about FoodShare on the Department of Health Services website. 

What We Do

Emergency food system coordination through the Food Access Network

• The Food Access Network is a coalition of emergency food programs (i.e. food pantries), school nutrition programs, senior meal programs, and other related nonprofits. 
• The Network members improve food security systems in Dane County by sharing updates, collaborating on projects, and building stronger relationships. 
• We lead the network and coordinate connections between organizations. 
• We also track changes to federal, state, and local policies that affect food security and keep key partners informed of those changes.  

• If your work touches food security, please consider joining the Food Access Network. Please email mfpc@cityofmadison.com to learn more. 

  Join the Food Access Network

Supporting nutrition assistance programs

• We coordinate WIC (Women, Infants and Children), a supplemental nutrition program for pregnant people and people with children under 5 years old. Learn more about WIC. 
• We support the Double Dollars Program, a local program that provides a dollar-to-dollar match for SNAP/FoodShare recipients buying food at farmers’ markets. Learn more about the Double Dollars program. 

Other food access work

• We work with policymakers to educate them on policies that support food security in Dane County. 
• We participate in the Food Policy Council, which focuses on food systems work in the City of Madison. Learn more about the Food Policy Council. 
• We participate in the Food Action Plan, which focuses on food systems work in Dane County. Learn more about the Food Action Plan.

How organizations and individuals can help 

1. Economic security: Helping people have enough money to afford food and other necessities
2. Access to affordable and nutritious food: Ensuring everyone lives close enough to places that have a variety of food, including fresh produce
3. Nutrition assistance programs: Providing supplemental food for people at risk of hunger
4. Emergency food system: Filling the gap via food banks, pantries, free meals, and other stopgaps

Learn more in our food insecurity report

Learn More

• Read our food insecurity report  (2025)
• City of Madison Food Policy and Programming 
• Madison Food Policy Council 
• Dane County Food Action Plan