UPDATE: Thanks to all who supported The River’s collaborative Giving Tuesday campaign! 177 donors generously gave over $38,000—plus, a $10,000 match—for a total of $48,000 to help feed food-insecure veterans in Madison.
Despite their sacrifices for our country, veterans are at a great risk of food insecurity. You can help ensure local veterans and their families have enough food to eat by supporting The River Food Pantry’s collaborative Giving Tuesday campaign on November 29.
With your support, The River—a veteran-led organization—will purchase healthy food for our local partners that specialize in serving veterans. A generous donor has offered to MATCH Giving Tuesday donations up to $10,000, so you can double your impact!
Your donation will provide healthy food—such as dairy, meat, and fresh produce—that will help to:
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.
Provide ingredients for a community meal program that serves formerly homeless veterans at Rethke Terrace.
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.
The River currently provides groceries and meals to over 160 veteran households, but the need is far greater than this! According to the USDA, working-age veterans are 7.4% more likely to experience food insecurity than non-veterans. This number rises nearly 3x to 22.5% for disabled veterans.
You will help nourish veterans in our community who are struggling to feed themselves and their families by giving to The River’s collaborative Giving Tuesday campaign. Together, we will expand access to free, healthy groceries and meals for veterans AND support important veteran service organizations throughout Madison.
Because The River is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, your donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
About Dryhootch
Dryhootch is a nonprofit organization that serves veterans and their families with peer-to-peer programs. It is located on Madison’s near-east side inside Valor on Washington, which offers affordable housing for veterans and their families, on-site mental health counseling, and a first-floor coffee shop open to the public.
About Rethke Terrace
Rethke Terrace offers supportive housing in Madison for single individuals experiencing homelessness and chronic mental illness. Nearly half of the units are reserved for formerly homeless veterans. Built in 2018, Rethke Terrace also offers residents a robust set of on-site services through Tellurian to help support their transition to being housed. For more information, call (608) 284 7416.
About Vets Connect
During the pandemic, St. Paul Lutheran Church was forced to cancel its veteran program, called Vets Connect, which offered free meals, games, movies, and a sense of community for veterans and their families twice a month. Support from The River will allow the church to host this popular event again.
About The River Food Pantry
The River is South Central Wisconsin’s busiest food pantry. Services include free groceries and freshly prepared meals for pickup or delivery, online grocery orders, and mobile meals. The River also redistributes rescued food and resources to local partners to increase access while minimizing waste. Since 2006, The River has grown to serve over 2,000 people every week in pursuit of its vision: a fully nourished community.