MADISON, Wis. — March 12, 2020 — The River has been closely monitoring growing concerns in Madison and Dane County regarding COVID-19. As of today, March 12, 2020, the following will take effect until further notice:

• The River is ceasing hot meals and clothing distribution.
• We will be halting our Senior distribution session on Wednesdays from 11:00am–1:45pm.
• We will be limiting shoppers inside The River to 25 at a time. We encourage our clients to limit shopping to the Head of Household or one family member only.
• All volunteer groups will be canceled, and there will be revised volunteer opportunities available.
• We will not be providing rides on Friday market sessions. We will offer MUNCH on Friday market sessions.
• Our market hours on Tuesday and Thursday are now extended to 10:00am–5:00pm.
• Our market hours on Friday are extended to 2:00pm–7:00pm.
• We will no longer be accepting donations of clothing or housewares. We still welcome food and hygiene product donations.
• Our annual Breakfast with the Bunny event on April 4, 2020, is now canceled.
• Our fifth annual Feed the Need event on March 29, 2020, is being postponed. Further details and a later date to be provided.
• Our upcoming volunteer appreciation event on April 8, 2020, is being postponed. Further details and a later date to be provided.

The health and safety of everyone who comes through our doors is our number one concern. We are taking all precautions necessary to keep our clients, volunteers and staff safe until further notice. If you are a client or volunteer of The River, we urge you to stay home if you are feeling sick. As a source for nutrition for many vulnerable populations, we often have hundreds of individuals inside our facility at a time. We work with older adult populations as well as immunocompromised and chronically ill populations and urge you to consider the health of those in your community as well as your own during this time. The CDC recommends the following to help prevent the spread of COVID-19:

• Frequently wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
• Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or use the inside of your elbow.
• Clean frequently touched objects and surfaces.
• Stay home when sick.

We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates through our website, social media, and voicemail system as necessary. Thank you for your support and understanding during this time.

Questions and concerns can be directed to info@riverfoodpantry.org or 608-442-8815