Recipe for Hope

The Need

The River works hard to ensure our clients have reliable access to healthy, nourishing food. Yet despite our success, the unfortunate reality is that we are unable to serve everyone that requires assistance.

In some cases, our programs are already operating at capacity. In others, the need goes well beyond food, surpassing the scope of our current operations. Additional needs include both materials goods, such as clothing and housewares, and access to life-changing services related to housing, healthcare, employment, legal assistance, and counseling.

As a trusted partner in the community, The River has the potential to do so much more—both in our focus area of fighting food insecurity and in facilitating the wraparound services needed by those confronting complex barriers to physical, mental, and economic wellbeing.

What’s keeping us from meeting our full potential as a critical community resource? Our building.

Challenges include:

• A Small Space That’s Bursting at the Seams: At just 11,000 square feet, our current building constrains operational efficiency and has capped our organizational growth.
• Outdated and Inadequate Infrastructure: We have reached the boundaries of our electrical grid. As a result, we can’t install the additional coolers and commercial-grade kitchen we need to grow.
• A Lack of Community Resource Space: Before we transitioned from indoor to curbside distribution, we had limited space to offer free clothing, housewares, in-person dining, and community partner information tables. During the pandemic, we had to cancel these services to protect people’s safety and make more room for food.

The Solution

We have a site and facility design that will meet our needs by addressing the following considerations:

Ease of Access for Clients
We are sandwiched between two Northside “food deserts” that persistently lack access to healthy food. Staying near our current facility will minimize disruptions for existing clients and allow The River to continue serving thousands of area residents who would struggle to access services in other parts of Dane County. Fortunately, we were able to purchase a site right across the street from us!

Increased Capacity for Services
Our new facility will be 32,500 square feet—nearly three times the size of our current building.

In this new space, we will:

• Construct a commercial-grade kitchen: To our knowledge, the new kitchen will be among the first all-electric kitchens of its size in Dane County! It will have the space we need to prepare large amounts of food.
• Deliver safe, efficient service: Our clients love our innovative drive-thru model so much that we’ve made it central to our ongoing services.
• Improve sustainability: Because a safe, healthy environment is important to us, we are installing a solar-powered microgrid, a geothermal system, and the infrastructure for additional sustainability initiatives for the future.
• Better meet current needs and accommodate future growth: We will have space to bring back popular services, including clothing and houseware distribution and indoor dining. We will also invite community partners to use our classrooms to provide access to life-changing services related to housing, healthcare, employment, legal assistance, counseling, and more.

In the Media

	River Food Pantry breaks ground on expansion WKOW | November 4, 2024
	River Food Pantry breaks ground on a new location in Madison Channel 3000 | October 30, 2024
	13 Wisconsin nonprofits receive more than $175k from Solar for Good grants WMTV 15 | June 13, 2024
	The River Food Pantry gets $500,000 grant from Sub-Zero Group Foundation WKOW | June 4, 2024
	Sub-Zero Group Foundation Announces New Mission and Investments to Strengthen Local Community Sub-Zero Group | May 20, 2024
	River Food Pantry raises more than $11M for 32.5K-square-foot facility In Business | May 16, 2024
	River Food Pantry set to build new facility after raising $11 million WMTV 15 | May 15, 2024
	Over $11 million raised for new and improved River Food Pantry in Madison WKOW | May 15, 2024

Thank You to Our Lead Donors!

Empathy Level
$10,000–$24,999
Anonymous
Rhonda Adams and Jim Lenzer
Ben Ballweg
Dorothy Borchardt
Ron and Mary Jane Campo
Connect Search, LLC
Jim and Jessica Doyle
Barb and Mike Gosenheimer
Brian and Julie Hornung
Ken and Chris Johnson
Jennifer and Bill Kraemer
Ronald and Deborah Krantz
Devin Lundberg
Marlene Mack and Elizabeth Meffert
Madison Mallards
MadiSUN Backyard Solar Grant Program 
Sharon and Mike Mohr
Solar for Good
Mark and Celeste Taber
Wall Family Enterprise
Jennifer and Jeff Zisser

Advocates Level
$5,000–$9,999
Anonymous (2)
Terese Allen and Jim Block
Joyce and Daniel Bromley
Hope Christmann
Cathie Easter and Susan Fischer
Heartland Credit Union
Dan and Tracy Henderson
Ralph Tod Highsmith and Joan Braune
Irving and Dorothy Levy Family Foundation
Amy and JC Isaachsen
Shay and Kim Santos
EG and Barbara Schramka
David and Marian Torkelson
The Wahlberg Family
TruStage Foundation
Wittwer Family Foundation Inc

Ring of Supporters Level
$2,500–$4,999
Anonymous (3)
Dennis and Beverly Brass
Susan Crawford
Sue Gilbertson
Hooper Foundation
Johnson & Johnson
Teresa and Dave Midthun
Martha Olson
Andrew Shrago
Jim and Melissa Sirianni
Matt Suby at The Suby Group
The Blitz Family
Jim and Tonya Tubbs
Max Weber and Maureen Griffin

Campaign Leadership

Campaign Cabinet
Syed Abbas
Annie and Sam Ballweg
Pat Gallagher
Sue Gilbertson
Maggie Immerfall
Michelle and Alan Ogilvie
Shay Santos
Barb and Dave Sauer
Bob Shumaker
Jennifer Zisser

Ways to Give

To make a secure online donation, please click the “Give Now” button below.

Please mail checks with “Recipe for Hope” in the memo to:
The River Food Pantry
2201 Darwin Road
Madison, WI 53704

Campaign Contact

Have a question? Want to tour our current facility? Please contact our Executive Director, Rhonda Adams, at rhonda@riverfoodpantry.org or our Development Director, Monica Wahlberg, at monica.wahlberg@riverfoodpantry.org or (608) 665-0819.