Who We Are

The Foodshed Partnership began with a simple but important goal: strengthen the way food moves through our local communities.

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For years, the Community Action Coalition for South Central Wisconsin (CAC) has operated a 10,000-square-foot warehouse that serves as a food bank for community food pantries across Dane, Jefferson, and Waukesha counties. Equipped with a walk-in freezer and cooler, this facility allows CAC to collect, palletize, and distribute food from a variety of sources, including gleaned produce from farms and federally supported programs like TEFAP. Through this work, hundreds of thousands of pounds of food move through the warehouse each year to help stock local pantries.

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In 2024, a new opportunity emerged. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) launched the Wisconsin Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program, designed to strengthen regional food supply chains. With support from this program, CAC and its partners began transforming the warehouse into something more than a food bank — a regional terminal market and food hub.

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The Foodshed Partnership builds on this existing infrastructure to create a centralized hub where local food can be aggregated, stored, processed, and distributed to many types of buyers. Farmers gain access to reliable wholesale markets, while communities gain greater access to fresh, locally grown food.

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This effort is made possible through collaboration with organizations deeply rooted in Wisconsin’s food system, including FairShare CSA Coalition, REAP Food Group, Pasture and Plenty, and the Community Action Coalition for South Central Wisconsin. Together, these partners are building a stronger and more resilient regional food network.