The River’s award-winning kitchen team works side-by-side with volunteers to prepare more than 4,500 meals each week for our Dane County neighbors experiencing food insecurity.
The River Food Pantry is proud to share that it has been voted both Best Charitable Organization and Best Chef through the Madison.com 2025 People’s Choice Awards.
“We are deeply honored and grateful to be recognized for the fifth year in a row as Best Charitable Organization among over 3,000 nonprofit organizations in the area! And to be recognized as Best Chef for the second time since 2023 in recognition of our kitchen team is amazing!” said Rhonda Adams, Executive Director of The River. “These awards not only belong to The River staff but also to our incredible volunteers, donors, and supporters who make our mission possible every single day.”
Each week, The River’s talented kitchen team—alongside dedicated volunteers—prepares over 2,500 freshly made to-go meals through the FAM (Family At-Home Meals) program and more than 2,000 mobile meals for children and adults in low-income neighborhoods through the Munch mobile meals program. All meals are provided free of charge to ensure that every household has access to well-balanced, delicious food.
Since opening in 2006, The River has grown to become South Central Wisconsin’s busiest food pantry. Today, more people are relying on its services than ever before. In 2024 alone, 18,777 people received food from The River—its highest annual total yet—and demand has already risen 15% in 2025.
Despite this historic need, The River continues to provide a wide range of free services to ensure everyone has access to healthy food, including:
- Curbside groceries
- Freshly prepared meals
- Delivery to the homebound
- Online grocery orders
- Mobile meals for low-income neighborhoods
- Redistribution community partnerships
- Food recovery
- After-hours food lockers
To learn more about The River’s services or to get involved as a volunteer, donor, or partner, visit riverfoodpantry.org.