In honor of Veterans Day, The River Food Pantry will distribute American flags to clients during our curbside distribution on Friday, November 10 from 10am–3pm.
Rhonda Adams was stationed in Yongsan, South Korea at age 18.
“It’s so important to show our veterans how much we care about them and appreciate their service,” said Rhonda Adams, Executive Director of The River who served over 20 years in the US Army and the Army Reserves.
As a veteran-led organization, The River aims to support local veterans experiencing food insecurity. So far this year, we have served groceries and meals to 177 veterans and their families.
In 2022, The River raised $48,000 through our collaborative Giving Tuesday campaign to purchase healthy food for partnering organizations that specialize in serving veterans throughout Madison. As a result, The River was able to help:
- Launch an on-site pantry at Dryhootch, which serves veterans and their families with peer-to-peer programs, to provide a stable supply of groceries directly to veterans.
- Re-establish a veteran program, called Vets Connect, which offers free dinner for veterans and their families once a month at St. Paul Lutheran Church.
Retired Major General Marcia Anderson spoke to local veterans at Vets Connect.
Recently, Vets Connect attendees had the honor of listening to a presentation from retired Major General Marcia Anderson, the first African American woman to achieve the rank of major general in the US Army!
Hosted in partnership with The River Food Pantry, Vets Connect is held the last Tuesday of the month from 4:45–7pm at St. Paul Lutheran Church (2126 Sherman Ave, Madison). Come enjoy a free meal, games, speakers and a sense of community for veterans and their families. Questions? Contact St Paul Lutheran Church at 608-244-8077 or office@stpaulmadison.org.