Representatives from six food pantries in Dane County gather to accept the first delivery.
MADISON, Wis. — April 14, 2026 — Six of the largest food pantries in Dane County—The River Food Pantry, Badger Prairie Needs Network, Goodman Community Center, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Sunshine Place and WayForward Resources—gathered at Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin for an exciting delivery on Wednesday, April 15 at 8 am.
This marks the launch of a new bulk order process, representing a new and creative approach to working together to meet growing community needs. This initial shipment of 20 tons of beef, ordered through Second Harvest, will be distributed across the six pantries and made available to neighbors experiencing food insecurity throughout Dane County.
“This collaboration represents what’s possible when organizations come together with a shared purpose,” said Rhonda Adams, Executive Director of The River. “By pooling our resources and thinking differently, we can stretch every dollar further and ensure more families have access to the nutritious food they need.”
Local food pantries are facing sustained, unprecedented demand. Many are now serving two to four times as many households as just a few years ago. This increase is driven by several factors, including population growth, rising food costs, and, most significantly, the sharp increase in housing expenses. As more families struggle to keep up with basic needs, food pantries are playing an increasingly critical role in filling the gap. Recent and anticipated reductions in federal support, including SNAP and Medicaid, are expected to place even greater pressure on both families and the emergency food system.
At the same time, traditional free food supply sources have not kept pace with this surge in demand. As a result, pantries are relying more heavily on purchased food to keep shelves stocked. This challenge brought these pantries together to explore whether buying in bulk could reduce costs and increase the total amount of food available to the community.
As the group of pantries developed this approach, the Dan & Patti Rashke (TASC) Family Foundation stepped forward with a generous investment to support this pilot effort. Wednesday’s delivery is made possible through their commitment to innovative solutions to significant community issues.
“The Dan & Patti Rashke (TASC) Family Foundation is excited to support the collective as they take a coordinated approach to meeting community needs,” said Abby Schulz, Community Investment Administrator at the Dan & Patti Rashke (TASC) Family Foundation. “We believe in giving nonprofits the space to try new approaches and build on what works, and hope efforts like this encourage others to lean in and support creative solutions across our community.”
Over the coming months, the group of six food pantries, in partnership with Second Harvest, will continue to pilot and refine this collaboration. The partners look forward to identifying meaningful ways for the community to support and strengthen this work in the future. In the meantime, they encourage continued support for the individual needs of participating pantries, including expanded space and financial resources to meet increased demand.
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About The River Food Pantry
The River is Dane County’s busiest food pantry. Services include free groceries for pickup or delivery, to-go meals, online grocery orders, mobile meals, and after-hours food lockers. The River also recovers food and resources—that would otherwise go to waste—from local retailers. Since 2006, The River has grown to serve over 4,000 people every week in pursuit of its vision: a fully nourished community. Learn more at www.riverfoodpantry.org.