The day we’ve been hoping, planning and dreaming about for so many years has finally come! We have begun to operate in our new home at 3301 Packers Ave! I cannot begin to express how grateful I am to everyone who has supported The River along the way, especially the 350+ contributors of the Recipe for Hope campaign. We would not be here without the generosity and hard work of countless individuals and organizations in this community.
We certainly could not do any of this without our dedicated volunteers. One of the best days in the last few very busy weeks was the Volunteer Open House when The River staff led small groups of volunteers on tours of the new building.
It was heartwarming to see the delighted looks on volunteers’ faces as they took in the thoughtful design and functional improvement of the new space for the first time. No more tripping over each other in the kitchen, warehouse, or walkways. No more serving clients outside in the cold or heat. The addition of dedicated rooms for the community to gather, learn, and be nourished. And the cherry on top – the fabulous new volunteer lounge! Our volunteers deserve the best and we hope these new building features will improve the volunteer experience.
On January 29th, our team and extended River family took a moment to celebrate with a small ribbon-cutting ceremony. I was joined by Board Chair Justice Susan Crawford, Recipe for Hope Campaign leaders Dave Beck-Engel and former Governor Jim Doyle, our architect Joe Gallagher of Ramaker & Associates and project leader Patrick Baldwin of Advanced Building Corporation in speaking about what this inspiring project means to each of us. We also welcomed two local leaders to the podium to share their thoughts on the occasion – Dane County Executive Melissa Agard and Dane County Supervisor for District 18, Michele Ritt. To close the ceremony, our staff joined to help cut the specially made banner.
On January 30th, we officially opened the new building for clients to be served drive-thru (now that we have an indoor drive-thru, it’s not curbside!) groceries and take-home meals. I’m so proud to share that The River seamlessly served 400 households in a very successful first day!
Amid all this exciting activity, we have also been running a campaign to “Pack the Pantry”. Our new pantry will empty quickly if we don’t keep the momentum going, so we hope everyone will join in this effort. We are thankful for involvement of many community partners including News 3 Now, Madison Magazine’s Restaurant Week, and Overture Center for the Arts for their promotional assistance and support.
We have so much to look forward to. Mark your calendars for these upcoming events!
- Monday, February 16th – bring your food or monetary donationsto the drive-thru at 3301 Packers Ave between 10 am and 4 pm.
- Thursday, June 4th – Grand Opening/20th Anniversary Celebration at 3301 Packers Ave.