Sun Prairie Emergency Food Pantry
Providing Hope, One Meal at a Time.
Hunger knows no boundaries, and neither do we. All are welcome!
Pantry Highlights: It’s time for Thanksgiving Baskets!
What are Thanksgiving Baskets?
The Sun Prairie Food Pantry provides these baskets for shoppers to take home during regular pantry hours in the two weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. The baskets contain foods that are curated for a family to share a holiday meal.
Here’s how it works. Shoppers receive a “grocery list” of foods to choose from to fill their baskets. Foods are separated into categories such as main course, sides, and desserts. The food choices that shoppers are given are based on pantry users’ feedback about what foods are important to their culture for this holiday. This allows families to choose foods based on their own needs and traditions, which improves accessibility, reduces food waste, and makes the baskets more culturally inclusive.
How can you Support Thanksgiving Baskets?
Food is nourishment, but it is also a way that we bring our loved ones together to celebrate, remember, and appreciate. Thanksgiving Baskets are rooted in this sentiment, and with your help we can provide a basket for every family who requests one. Last year we distributed 1,089 Thanksgiving Baskets to pantry shoppers. This year, we anticipate that approximately 1,200 families will need Thanksgiving Baskets. We can’t fulfill this need without your support.
A special thanks to our primary supporter, The Bank of Sun Prairie, who has a long history of supporting Thanksgiving baskets and is our “Village” level sponsor of Thanksgiving baskets this year. Your generous donation allows us to provide even more local families with the opportunity for a shared meal. We could not do the work we do without supporters like you!
Here are some ways you can help:
- Spread the Word: Download and share our sponsorship sheet (on the left) and pass along the donation link. If you have volunteered putting together Thanksgiving Baskets or supported them in some way in the past, share your experience and encourage others to get involved. Your voice matters!
- Sponsor: Sponsors can be businesses, but they can also be YOU getting together with a group of family or friends you are thankful for, to provide other families with a holiday meal. Browse the sponsorship sheet to the left to learn more about becoming a sponsor (click to enlarge or print). Please contact Susan Schmidt at 608-478-5556, or susan@sunshineplace.org, if you would like to commit to one of our sponsorship levels.
- Donate: It costs approximately $20 to feed one local family for Thanksgiving through our Thanksgiving Baskets. Click the button below to feed one or more families this Thanksgiving.
Food Pantry Hours & Location
Food Pantry Hours
Monday: 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Tuesday: 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Wednesday: 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Thursday: 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Friday: 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Saturday: 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Guests can shop at the pantry every 14 days. We typically have at least one volunteer on each shift who speaks Spanish. Language should never be a barrier to accessing food!
We stock fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy, meat, bread, cooking staples, snacks, personal care, household care, diapers, and period products.
The food pantry is closed for major holidays and in the event of weather emergencies.
If you cannot access the pantry, you may use a proxy shopper. Seniors who do not have anyone who can help them access the pantry should call (608) 478-0510.
We are located just off Main Street, and easily accessible from HWY 151. We are located on the Madison Metro lines S & W.
In-Kind Donations & Pantry Product Sourcing
HOW WE SOURCE PRODUCTS:
We stock our shelves with products donated by the community, purchased from partners and wholesalers, and food recovery efforts. Food recovery involves collecting food that would otherwise go to waste from local retailers.
TO DONATE OR NOT TO DONATE?
In-kind food donations are hugely appreciated, but we want to ensure that we can use what you have taken the time and energy to bring to us. A rule of thumb for ALL of the below is, would you eat it? If not, others probably won’t either. Everyone deserves the dignity of good food!
- Prepared foods: Must be packaged individually or into family-sized portions, be time and temperature controlled, and come with a list of ingredients or allergens. Venison and other meats must be tested for Chronic Wasting Disease and processed in a licensed facility.
- Canned and pre-packaged goods: Cans should have no dents large enough to fit your finger tip, no dents along the ends of the can where they are sealed, and no rust. Packages such as pasta, rice, and cereal must have closed packaging.
- Garden Produce: We do accept fresh, seasonal produce from community and individual gardens. We are able to bag and distribute this, we just ask that you wash it prior to donating, and remove any insects that might be hiding. Please no produce that has become over-sized to the point of being inedible!
- Business benefits: Did you know that if you are a business who partners with us in food recovery you can receive tax benefits for every pound of recovered food sent our way? Talk to your tax preparer or visit the IRS website for more information.
Help Support the Food Pantry
Volunteer
Help your neighbors with the gift of time. The Sun Prairie Food Pantry has just one paid program staff, so volunteers are critical to providing our services in a dignified, compassionate way. Bilingual volunteers are especially needed to communicate effectively with some of our shoppers. Whether you’re a people person or prefer to stay behind the scenes, we have something for you!
Financial Donations
Financial donations keep the shelves stocked, the lights on, and gas in our trucks. Every donation you make is a valuable pledge that transforms lives in our community. Thank you for your support!
Host a Food Drive
Help us support our community by donating staples!
Want other food drive ideas? Click through to find out more. You can drop off any items directly at the pantry. Or make it easy by shopping off our Amazon list
- Coffee (12-16 oz.)
- Cooking Oil (24-32 oz.)
- Flour (2 lbs)
- Juice (48-64 oz.)
- Sugar (1 lb)
- All-Purpose Cleaner (20-30 oz.)
- Deodorant (1-2 oz.)
- Dish Soap (12-16 oz.)
- Shampoo (15-20 oz.)
- Toothpaste (4-6 oz.)
Food and care drives add richness and variety to our shelves, so our clients can truly have a dignified experience full of choices! In 2024 donations from our neighbors helped Sun Prairie Food Pantry distribute over 1.6 million pounds of food to our community.
Want to host a food drive, but don’t know where to start? Click through to find our Food Drive Kit, or contact us to get started.
Help Feed Kids
Between stocking pantries at local schools, passing out snacks in Sun Prairie neighborhoods, and distributing lunches three days per week during summer break, we are working to ensure that no kid in our community goes hungry. We need your support to make this important work possible!
Additional Sunshine Place Food Services
- Sunshine Place Resource Lobby: Additional food is often available in the Sunshine Place lobby, which is open Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 3 PM. Food can be accessed by anyone in need and does not count toward normal pantry visits. Food available often consists of bread, bakery items, and additional overflow stock from the pantry. Availability is not guaranteed and limits may apply on certain items.
- Senior Boxes for ages 60 and over: In partnership with Community Action Coalition (CAC), we are one of the largest distributors of senior boxes in Dane County. Every senior box contains a healthy mix of supplemental food items and is available once per month. To qualify you must be 60 or older and meet a monthly income requirement of 130% at or below the federal poverty level: $1353 for one person or $1832 for two people.
- Food for Kids: In partnership with Sun Prairie Community Schools, we distribute hearty snack bags in several Sun Prairie neighborhoods during the school year (Fun Friday), meal bags to help families get through school breaks, and lunches three days a week during summer break. We also supply and support satellite pantries at all Sun Prairie Community Schools. Click here to visit our Food for Kids page and learn more.
- Sunshine Supper: This is a FREE hot meal for whoever needs it, every Monday night from 5 PM – 6 PM. Volunteers and rotating sponsors host meals. Click here to visit the Sunshine Supper page and learn more.
- Thanksgiving Baskets: These are distributed during regular pantry hours in the two weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. Customers can pick up their Thanksgiving Basket during their normal pantry visit, however a pantry visit is not required.
About the Sun Prairie Food Pantry
1 in 7 children go hungry in Wisconsin. The Sun Prairie Food Pantry works to make sure everyone gets fed. If you are struggling with food insecurity, regardless of where you live, we encourage you to visit us.
Our Mission
The Sun Prairie Emergency Food Pantry provides hope through hunger relief.
Our Vision
We strive to provide reliable sources of food and personal care items to individuals of all ages.
Our Values
Our values reflect core beliefs that inspire and guide how we operate and treat others. Our values include:
Integrity—We are good stewards of the resources entrusted to us.
Collaborative—We build and foster strong community and team relationships.
Accepting—We welcome people from all walks of life without judgement.
Compassionate—We are known for the kindness we show toward one another.
Humble—We are easy going, gentle in spirit, and we seek simplicity in all that we do.
Safe—We work safely for the benefit of ourselves and others.
Our Partners
We work closely with many partners to ensure that no one in our community goes hungry. Our partners include:
American Family Insurance
Bank of Sun Prairie
The Community Action Coalition
The City of
Sun Prairie
Costco
Kwik Trip Stores
Madison Community Foundation
McGann Construction
Pick N Save
Second Harvest
Sun Prairie
Community
Schools
Sun Prairie Education Foundation
Sun Prairie
School District
Sunshine Place
United Way of Dane County
Woodman’s
Our History
Sun Prairie Emergency Food Pantry began in 1993 when six Sun Prairie churches merged their smaller food pantries to create a single larger pantry that served the entire community.
Back then, the food pantry, located in a small building on North Bristol Street, served around 50 families a month. Today, the food pantry serves approximately 1,400 families a month.
As client numbers grew, so did the size of the food pantry. The pantry moved to a larger space on South Bristol Street in 1997, and moved to its current location at 18 Rickel Road in 2007, after crews razed the South Bristol Street building to construct a new Senior Living Center.
On January 1, 2023 the pantry merged with and became a program of Sunshine Place. Sunshine Place brings long-term sustainability in paid administrative and support staff. Together Sunshine Place and the pantry can focus on the root causes of poverty and food insecurity, so our shared client base can thrive.
The food pantry takes full advantage of partnerships with Second Harvest, the Community Action Coalition, area grocery stores, and wholesale food distributors. Collaborative efforts with area schools and other nonprofits also help increase community members’ access to food.
The most significant characteristic of the food pantry is the enduring support it receives from the community. Sun Prairie Emergency Food Pantry could not exist and operate without the kindness and generosity of its volunteers, Sun Prairie residents, and beyond.