ePantry

The ePantry program is open to all residents of Dane County. The primary goal of ePantry is to expand access to foods that satisfy dietary restrictions (for example, gluten-free, low-sodium, vegetarian, and other such options) or foods that are culturally responsive. About 90-95% of the foods offered through the program are selected to help clients who have these more specialized dietary needs. If this does not apply to you or a member of your household, you may find that the offerings from our Drive-Thru Groceries program better satisfy your household’s needs. 

Please note: We are making changes to our ePantry registration form. Existing ePantry clients may continue to place orders until the registration form is ready, but new registrations are currently paused. Please stay tuned for updates! We encourage new clients to visit The River for Drive-Thru Groceries during this time. 

You may place orders online from the second Friday of the month at 5:00pm and the following Tuesday at 5:00pm for pickup during ePantry distribution hours. Ordering may close earlier if pickup slot capacity is reached. 

Please contact (608) 665-0232 or epantry@riverfoodpantry.org at least 2 calendar days before your scheduled pick-up or delivery to make cancellations. We do not typically make changes once an order is submitted, so please make sure to review your order before submitting. 

Please call (608) 665-0232 and email epantry@riverfoodpantry.org as soon as you know that you won’t be able to make your time. We may be able to reschedule your pickup to a different ePantry distribution time (Tuesday from 4–6pm, Wednesday from 9–11am, or Thursday from 2–4pm). However, this is not guaranteed. Additionally, we cannot fulfill pick-up orders during The River’s distribution hours for Drive-Thru Groceries.​ 

Please also review the late cancellation and no-show policy below. 

• If you need to cancel or reschedule an order, you must notify the ePantry Coordinator at least 2 calendar days prior to your pickup date.  

• For example, if your pickup date is Wednesday, you must notify the ePantry Coordinator by Monday at the latest if you must cancel.  

• Failure to do so will result in your first late cancellation/no-show and a suspension from ePantry for the next calendar month.  

• A second late cancellation/no-show within 1 year will result in a permanent suspension from the ePantry program.  

• Suspensions from ePantry will not impact access to other services provided by The River, such as drive-thru groceries or meals.  

• Cancellations due to operational closures by The River (such as inclement weather) will not count against clients.  

• Individual extenuating circumstances may be considered on a case-by-case basis.  

• Delivery orders are subject to the River Delivers policy for cancellations and missed deliveries, as outlined in the River Delivers Pledge. 

This cancellation policy is in place because it takes a substantial amount of time for our staff and volunteers to process, pack and unpack canceled orders. Additionally, as we must limit the total number of orders each week, and ePantry is available one week per month, each cancellation takes away the opportunity for another household to order through ePantry that month. 

Please add any items in the “Additional Comments” field at the bottom of the order form. We will do our best to accommodate. However, please note that these special requests are not guaranteed. 

You may find it helpful to review the following examples. These lists are not exhaustive. 

Examples of special requests that we may be able to fulfill, subject to item availability: Coffee, pet food, menstrual products, gluten-free boxes, specific versions of on-menu items (such as plant milks, diaper sizes, baby formula, etc.). 

Examples of special requests that we cannot fulfill: assorted refrigerated or freezer bags (available through Drive-Thru Groceries or River Delivers), FAM meals (available regularly with Drive-Thru Groceries, but with ePantry only during end-of-year holidays), extra quantities of on-menu items. 

A limited number of ePantry orders can be delivered to households registered through River Delivers, a delivery service for clients who are homebound and meet other requirements. To learn more, please click here. If you have questions about deliveries, please contact epantry@riverfoodpantry.org and delivery@riverfoodpantry.org. 

Qualified clients may receive up to two (2) deliveries per month, and up to one (1) of these may be an ePantry order. The ePantry delivery order form is available from the second Friday of the month at 5:00pm until the following Monday at 8:00am, but the form may close earlier if all delivery slots have been filled. 

You may select your preferred delivery date when placing an order. While we make every effort to honor this, your delivery date and time will be scheduled according to volunteer driver availability. Please check your email for updates to your delivery window. 

Delivery orders are subject to a minimum order weight of 20 lbs., and a maximum order weight of 60 lbs.