CURBSIDE GROCERIES
Until further notice, The River will distribute curbside groceries in response to COVID-19 to maintain everyone’s safety, while ensuring access to food. The River will not allow shoppers inside of the facility. Instead, prepared boxes of groceries, including perishable and non-perishable foods, will be available for pick up curbside. Inside each box, we have selected a variety of items that we hope you and your household will be able to use. If there are items that you cannot use, we ask that you please share them with someone rather than throwing it away or returning it. Each household will take home an average of 110 pounds of emergency food and supplies per visit.
DISTRIBUTION HOURS: CURBSIDE PICK-UP ONLY
| Day | Hours |
| Tuesday | 10:00am–3:00pm |
| Wednesday | 10:00am–3:00pm |
| Thursday | 10:00am–3:00pm |
| Friday | 10:00am–3:00pm |
The following system will be in place for client pickup:
- Enter through the Packers Avenue entrance and proceed to The River.
- A volunteer or staff member will ask you the basic questions and ask to see your ID, all while you stay in your car.
- A volunteer or staff member will then put boxes of food in your car.
If you have specific dietary needs, please tell one of our volunteers or employees onsite or by emailing info@riverfoodpantry.org. We will do our best to accommodate your needs.
If you are not feeling well and need food, we encourage you to stay home. Please email info@riverfoodpantry.org and ask about setting up a proxy shopper.
CANCELED SERVICES
- Community Meals (This service will be replaced by FAM (Family At-home Meals) this summer!)
- Caring Clothing Closet
- Friday Night Van Rides
See the latest COVID-19 updates from The River here. Thank you for your patience and understanding!
Inclement Weather Policy
For the safety of our clients, staff and volunteers, The River will close if the Madison Metropolitan School District cancels school due to inclement weather conditions. If the inclement weather day is outside of normal school hours, our management will decide whether or not The River will close. Closures will be posted on this page, our homepage, and on our social media channels.
What to bring to The River to receive boxed groceries
If you are a registered client at The River…
Please bring the white registration card that The River has issued you. If you do not have your registration card when you visit, please bring an ID.
If you are visiting The River for the first time…
All you need to bring is an ID for the head of the household. Please read below for instructions on how to receive an official registration card.
If you are waiting to receive a registration card…
Please come to The River on Tuesday from 12pm–2pm or Thursday from 10am–12pm with the necessary information below:
- Proof of address: A piece of mail dated within 3 months.
- One form of ID for each family member: Acceptable forms of ID for family members include photo ID, insurance cards, school IDs, birth certificates, vaccination records, etc. We will also need the birthdate of each family member.
You can pick up your groceries during the same visit. It may take 5–10 minutes to enter your information, and your card will be available for pick-up your next visit.
Once you have your card, please bring it with you each time you visit so that we can check you in fast and keep things moving!
PLEASE NOTE: When your card expires, we will need to verify that all the information we have is still current.