Widen Family Foundation

08/30/2026

August has been all about celebrating our 2026 grant recipients. But we're not done yet! 📆September will bring more stories, more impact and a look behind the scenes at the organizations making Madison and Dane County a better place. 🍂

08/26/2026

One of the most rewarding parts of giving is seeing exactly how a grant can make a difference in our community.

Elver Park Neighborhood Center recently shared with us that, thanks to the $10,000 grant, they were able to provide fresh, healthy and nourishing food to more than 400 neighbors, including many people visiting their food pantry for the first time.

Together, they distributed more than 7,000 pounds of food, helping ensure that families and individuals in our community had access to nutritious groceries. 🤎

08/23/2026

Say hello to our last group of this year’s grant recipients!

Each of these organizations is doing important work, and we’re immensely grateful for the opportunity to help support their missions and the people they serve.

Congratulations to all! 👏 On behalf of our foundation board, we are excited to see the impact you’ll make in our communities. ❤

08/20/2026

We’re back with Day 2 of our 2026 grant announcements! 🎉

Congratulations to these deserving organizations, and thank you for the incredible impact you make every day. We’re honored to be a part of your missions!

More recipients coming soon… stay tuned! 👀

08/17/2026

🌟For 2026, our family foundation received over 119 grant applications--a record amount! We chose 5️⃣9️⃣ recipients and awarded over $469,000 to these fantastic groups that are making a HUGE difference in our communities. Today, we will announce our first batch of organizations that we are thrilled to help in their missions.

08/11/2026

Cool post alert! 🚨 We are thrilled to congratulate Maria for her special award! Our foundation is wrapping up a five year pledge of over $50,000 to Musically Fed. Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, Musically Fed is a non-profit organization founded by Maria Brunner that redirects unused backstage and VIP catering from concerts, festivals, and sporting events to local community organizations supporting the hungry, homeless, and vulnerable. With over 368,000 meals served in Arizona and almost 1,000,000 nationwide, this organization is truly unique in their fight to prevent food waste and help the communities in need. ❤️💙🤎

08/07/2026

🎉✨ You’re Invited! ✨🎉

Join us for our Foundation’s Open House on Thursday, October 8, 2026, from 5:00-8:00 PM at Garver Feed Mill.

This gathering is the perfect opportunity to help us celebrate our community partners while also supporting Porchlight!

Here’s the best part—our foundation will MATCH all donations raised during the event! So, let’s make a difference together and double the impact for this critical organization.

Enjoy great company, appetizers and drinks and a warm, giving spirit.
We can’t wait to see you there! 🎁

07/22/2026

As much as we don't want summer to fly by, we're already looking forward to our October gathering at Garver Feed Mill!

We're also thrilled to announce that Porchlight has been selected as our charitable partner for this year's event. ❤️ Their incredible work providing housing, support, and hope to individuals experiencing homelessness in our community aligns perfectly with our mission of strengthening lives and building a brighter future.

More details to come soon. Until then, enjoy these beautiful summer days! ☀

07/16/2026

Help the Sunshine Place ensure that they have enough backpacks for all students this Fall. Here's the Amazon wishlist link if you'd like to donate! https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/33PMA7ZBW2KY0/ref=hz_ls_biz_ex?content_source=fb&fb_content_id=Q9-wBQGFUrOX-QHsoVy-J5ZSdC-Rgw7jUiPdMYIrcNG7fWlEf7eQf5YYEZkuYPetdQ&channel_type=fb&fbclid=IwY2xjawTGBa9leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFUYjhUYTE0V2liam1Gdk9tc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHpFbpfcxA-o23mmMoPy9OeEwMozw6YxrvBg9GXR2Y_F_1GptYuZzeSue6abL_aem_0WNxFsNQ6fR1jJIzUpcXug

🚌 We know it's only July, but Sunshine Place's Stuff the Bus program is right around the corner! We need your help ensuring every child in the Sun Prairie School District has the supplies they need to start the school year prepared to learn.

There are several ways you can help: (*NO donations of school supplies please!)

👉 Donate NEW backpacks for elementary and middle/high school students. Purchase in-store, or buy from one of our wishlists to have them shipped to us:
💙Wishlist 1: https://www.walmart.com/lists/shared/WL/5d61ab33-b623-4aa4-97ac-55a0ba5e4ce5
💙 Wishlist 2: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/33PMA7ZBW2KY0/ref=hz_ls_biz_ex
👉 Host a backpack collection drive with your family, friends, or coworkers.
👉 Donate money towards bulk school supply purchasing: https://sunshine.app.neoncrm.com/forms/12

🎒 In all of our programs, we want to continue to adapt to the need we see around us, and Stuff the Bus is no exception. This year we will provide backpacks with supplies specific to elementary school students, and backpacks with supplies specific to middle/high schoolers. This change was made based on feedback from recipients and school staff, and significant differences in Sun Prairie school supply lists for younger vs older students. We are excited to implement this change to better serve those who rely on this program!

🙏 Huge thanks to Bank of Sun Prairie for their continued sponsorship of this program, and to our partners at Sun Prairie Schools, who help to coordinate distribution.

🌞 Stuff the Bus program recipients: stay tuned to school communication for August distribution dates/locations, and what supplies to expect.