The River Food Pantry has raised over $11,450,000 to construct a new, larger, purpose-built facility on Madison’s northside to serve the rising number of people who rely on the pantry for healthy, nutritious groceries and meals.
Funds raised will build a 32,500-square-foot facility and support expanded food and meal programs. The new building will be nearly triple the size of the current warehouse that The River rents on Darwin Road. It will be built across the street on vacant land off Packers Avenue and will be owned by The River.
The new pantry will include an all-electric commercial kitchen, expanded food preparation and storage areas, an innovative drive-thru, docking stations for delivery trucks, an in-person dining room, and multipurpose rooms for clothing distribution and community use.
Additionally, the building will be constructed with clean energy equipment and practices, such as a geothermal heat-pump climate control system, a solar panel array, expanded operational capacity for food recovery operations, energy-efficient lighting, a rain garden, native landscaping, and recycled materials.
“This project has been a true public-private partnership,” said Rhonda Adams, Executive Director of The River. “We are grateful for the generous support we have received from donors. Their gifts have helped to leverage some large public grants, and, with this support, we will take a significant step toward our vision of a fully nourished community. The new building is designed to serve more people in a more effective and efficient manner. We are so excited for what this will mean for our neighbors who are going through difficult times.”
Lead donors to the project include the Sub-Zero Group Foundation, Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation, Terri and Dave Beck-Engel, Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation, Paul Reckwerdt and Ellen Rosner, American Family Insurance Dreams Foundation, Sam and Annie Ballweg, and Lau and Bea Christensen. The River also received a federal grant and public funding from Dane County and the City of Madison. The Recipe for Hope Campaign aims to raise $12 million to fully fund the project.
“We are proud to be part of The River’s mission to help nourish our neighbors in need,” said Dave Beck-Engel, Co-Chair for the Recipe for Hope Campaign. “I grew up on Madison’s northside and believe in giving back. Terri and I see how important The River is for our community, especially for children, and we are happy to play a role in making this project happen.”
As Dane County’s busiest food pantry, The River serves over 2,500 people each week through a combination of programs and services. One in three people served by The River is a child. In 2023, The River served more people than ever before, and demand was up 25% in the first few months of 2024.
Construction will begin this summer with the goal to open the new facility in late spring or early summer of 2025. The River has selected Advanced Building Corporation as the contractor and Ramaker & Associates as the architect for the project.
To learn more and support The River’s Recipe for Hope Campaign, please visit www.riverfoodpantry.org/recipe-for-hope. Thanks to a generous donor, all donations of $500 or more to this campaign given on or after May 15 will be matched dollar for dollar up to $150,000!