Spring is finally here!  I loved the teaser warmer days we had a couple of weeks ago and love seeing the crocus and early spring flowers starting to appear.  Although it’s been a pretty mild winter overall, it’s been a tough one for construction of The River’s new facility.  Without snow as a blanket on the ground, we’ve learned from our contractor, Advanced Building Corporation, that the frostline was deep.  And while they’ve worked hard to keep us on track with our project, there were some delays with the cold winter windy days.  Unfortunately, winter construction added about $100k to our costs.

The progress they’ve made in the last several weeks with the steel structure going up is so great to see!  Yes, that’s The River’s new, bigger building that you see when you come down Packers Avenue.  We’ll have a neighbor to the south, which is Avis Car Rental.  They, too, have been making lots of progress on their new building.

As you may or may not know, The River was awarded $3 million in direct federal funding last year to support the construction of our new pantry facility.  With so many federal cuts, it has been uncertain as to whether or not we would still receive this support.

If you were nearby on Monday, March 24th at about 12:30 pm, you would have heard me let out a big shout.  This is when I was told that $1,840,400 in federal funding hit our bank account from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  I had to look at the bank account myself just to be sure!  Our Grants Manager, Ryan Holley, has been deeply involved with the process from writing the proposal to inputting the expenditures for this disbursement.  We anticipate that we will be able to receive the full $3 million reimbursement.  I’m so thankful that he’s been so attentive to this very important funding for The River.

Spring also means it’s time for our annual Curbside Breakfast with Bunny, which will be held on Saturday, April 12th from 8-10:30am at The River.  This pay-what-you-can event is a morning full of smiles.  I’ve had the great fortune to be the photographer every year, and I always receive much more than I give.  To see children and their families waiting their turn for a picture with the bunny is truly special.  We take our time with each family, asking if they want to get out of their car to get a picture or several.  Some kids are excited to see the bunny.  Others are more shy and don’t leave the car, but most allow the bunny to get near the window to wave hello and snap a picture.  Played by a different volunteer each year, our Easter bunny is always patient and full of hugs, handshakes, and high-fives for kids that are happy to give and receive one.  There are treats for all and a simple to-go breakfast that is made with love.  Come see for yourself what I’m talking about—you don’t have to be a kid to attend.

With warmer weather comes more time to be outside.   And I’m thrilled that Seven Acre Dairy Company in Paoli and Bailey’s Run in New Glarus are partnering for The River Ride—a charity bike ride to support The River through the Sugar River Valley on Saturday, April 26th.  My husband, Jim, and I have already registered…not to ride bikes, but to enjoy the food, drink, and entertainment at both wonderful establishments.  I hope you’ll join us and many others that will be participating in this fun new fundraiser for The River.

I’ve been here at The River now almost 12 years.  I remember one of the first years I was here, I gave a donation to The River in honor of my mother for Mother’s Day.  She received a card from The River notifying her of my donation.  I still recall the look on her face when she opened the card.  She had tears streaming down her face while she told me that she felt so special to be honored and for a donation to be made in her name.

I will be honoring my mother, who has been gone for over 7 years, with a donation in her memory this year.  There will be no need to send her a card, but it’s the memory of that gift I gave many years ago that still keeps giving back to me.  Please consider making a donation to The River in honor of your mother or someone you consider to be a mother-like figure in your life.  Our development staff have come up with a pretty special Mother’s Day card to be personalized and mailed…and there’s an equally special card for Father’s Day in the works.

Oh, and let me not forget about Match Madness.  We are so close to our goal of raising $60,000 to purchase cereal for those who visit The River.  While I was never a fan of cold cereal growing up, I was a Malt-O-Meal gal, so many kids and adults are.  Thank you to those who have donated boxes or bags of cereal or given money so that we may purchase cereal.  I reached out to several businesses that have supported The River in the past and was so happy to hear, “Yes, we’ll do a cereal drive for The River.”  Raising money, raising awareness, and providing food doesn’t have to be a chore; it can be fun.  I believe in infusing fun in as much as possible.

And with that, Jim and I are going to take some time off to have some fun in the sun!