Volunteers, donors, clients, staff, and public officials took turns breaking ground on The River Food Pantry’s new land, which is across the street from the current warehouse we rent. Pictured here are members of the Recipe for Hope Campaign Cabinet.

Over 100 supporters of The River Food Pantry gathered on November 4 for a groundbreaking ceremony on the pantry’s new land at 3301 Packers Ave. on Madison’s Northside.

The event celebrated the beginning of construction on The River’s new, larger, purpose-built facility to better serve the rising number of Dane County residents who rely on the pantry for groceries and meals.

Prior to the public ceremony, The River’s staff gathered on the new land to plant their hopes and dreams (on water-soluble paper) for the organization’s next chapter.

“After several years of planning, we finally broke ground on our new pantry!” said Rhonda Adams, Executive Director of The River. “The River has needed more space since I joined the organization over a decade ago. With demand at an all-time high in 2024, this expansion cannot come soon enough. We thank all our supporters for helping to make our dream home come true.”

As Dane County’s busiest food pantry, The River serves over 3,000 people each week — one in three is a child. In 2023, The River served more people than ever before, and demand is up 20% in 2024.

In addition to Adams, attendees heard details about the building project from The River’s Recipe for Hope Campaign leaders, former Governor Jim Doyle, Annie Ballweg, Wisconsin Volleyball Coach Kelly Sheffield, and Dave Beck-Engel.

“We are grateful for the generous support we have received from donors,” said Dave Beck-Engel, a Northsider with over 40 years of building experience at J.H. Findorff & Son. “It’s remarkable how The River has been able to meet our community’s increasing need for food with such a small, inefficient space. The new building will allow The River to have an even greater impact on our community.”

With over $11.7 million raised from public and private sources, The River is building a 32,500 square foot facility — nearly triple the size of the current warehouse that The River rents on Darwin Road. The new building is designed to function as a food pantry and will include an all-electric commercial kitchen, expanded food preparation and storage areas, an innovative drive-thru, docking stations for delivery trucks, an in-person dining room, and multipurpose rooms for clothing distribution and community use.

Additionally, the building will be constructed with clean energy equipment and practices, such as a geothermal heat-pump climate control system, a solar panel array, expanded operational capacity for food recovery operations, energy-efficient lighting, a rain garden, native landscaping, and recycled materials.

Local government officials also shared remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony, including Congressman Mark Pocan, Interim Dane County Executive Jamie Kuhn, and Dane County Supervisor of District 18, Michele Ritt.

To close the event, Ne’ke Romashko, a member of The River’s Client Advisory Council (pictured right), gave a land blessing in Lakota.

“While it serves all of Dane County, I am so grateful that The River made it a priority to stay here on the beautiful Northside of Madison,” Ritt said. “Not only is this area a food desert, but staying nearby will help minimize disruptions to their clients, many of which live in the 53704 zip code.”

The new building is expected to open in late 2025. Advanced Building Corporation is the general contractor and Ramaker & Associates is the architect for the project.

The River has less than $300,000 to raise to fully fund the Recipe for Hope Campaign. To learn more and donate, please visit www.riverfoodpantry.org/recipe-for-hope.