An Update on Our New Home
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! We cannot begin to express how grateful we are 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.
On January 29th, our team and extended River family took a moment to celebrate with a small ribbon-cutting ceremony. We were joined 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. We are so proud to share that The River seamlessly served 400 households in a very successful first day!
Thank You for Helping Us Meet Our Goal!
As of July 2025, our Recipe for Hope Campaign received gifts and grants totaling $12 million to fund these components!
- Land and Title: $1,000,000
- Facility Construction: $9,000,000
- Program Support Fund: $2,000,000
The Need
The River works hard to ensure our clients have reliable access to healthy, nourishing food. Yet despite our success, the unfortunate reality is that we are unable to serve everyone that requires assistance.
In some cases, our programs are already operating at capacity. In others, the need goes well beyond food, surpassing the scope of our current operations. Additional needs include both materials goods, such as clothing and housewares, and access to life-changing services related to housing, healthcare, employment, legal assistance, and counseling.
As a trusted partner in the community, The River has the potential to do so much more—both in our focus area of fighting food insecurity and in facilitating the wraparound services needed by those confronting complex barriers to physical, mental, and economic wellbeing.
What’s keeping us from meeting our full potential as a critical community resource? Our building.
Challenges include:
- A Small Space That’s Bursting at the Seams: At just 11,000 square feet, our current building constrains operational efficiency and has capped our organizational growth.
- Outdated and Inadequate Infrastructure: We have reached the boundaries of our electrical grid. As a result, we can’t install the additional coolers and commercial-grade kitchen we need to grow.
- A Lack of Community Resource Space: Before we transitioned from indoor to curbside distribution, we had limited space to offer free clothing, housewares, in-person dining, and community partner information tables. During the pandemic, we had to cancel these services to protect people’s safety and make more room for food.
The Solution
We have a site and facility design that will meet our needs by addressing the following considerations:
Ease of Access for Clients
We are sandwiched between two Northside “food deserts” that persistently lack access to healthy food. Staying near our current facility will minimize disruptions for existing clients and allow The River to continue serving thousands of area residents who would struggle to access services in other parts of Dane County. Fortunately, we were able to purchase a site right across the street from us!
Increased Capacity for Services
Our new facility will be 32,500 square feet—nearly three times the size of our current building.
In this new space, we will:
- Construct a commercial-grade kitchen: To our knowledge, the new kitchen will be among the first all-electric kitchens of its size in Dane County! It will have the space we need to prepare large amounts of food.
- Deliver safe, efficient service: Our clients love our innovative drive-thru model so much that we’ve made it central to our ongoing services.
- Improve sustainability: Because a safe, healthy environment is important to us, we are installing a solar-powered microgrid, a geothermal system, and the infrastructure for additional sustainability initiatives for the future.
- Better meet current needs and accommodate future growth: We will have space to bring back popular services, including clothing and houseware distribution and indoor dining. We will also invite community partners to use our classrooms to provide access to life-changing services related to housing, healthcare, employment, legal assistance, counseling, and more.
About Our New Home
Preliminary renderings of The River’s new home, which will be located across the street from our current facility, are shown below.
Front of building facing Packers Ave
Commercial-grade kitchen
Drive-thru groceries
Community dining room and mezzanine
Classroom
Back of building and parking lot
Drive-thru groceries and onsite garden
Download Case Statement (Web version as of May 2024)
Media Coverage
Thank You to Our Lead Donors!
Hope Level
$1,000,000 and above
County of Dane
Congressionally Directed Spending
(US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD))
Respect Level
$500,000–$999,999
Anonymous
Terri and Dave Beck-Engel
Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation
Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation
Paul Reckwerdt and Ellen Rosner
Sub-Zero Group Foundation
Compassion Level
$250,000–$499,999
American Family Insurance Dreams Foundation
Sam and Annie Ballweg
Lau and Bea Christensen
City of Madison
Community Level
$150,000–$249,999
Endres Manufacturing Company Foundation
Eric D. and Steven D. Hovde Foundation
Oscar Rennebohm Foundation
Caring Level
$100,000–$149,999
Anonymous (2)
Ken Ballweg
Bradbury Family
Dan & Patti Rashke (TASC) Family Foundation
Edwin and Susan Gilbert
Carol and Greg Griffin
Irwin A and Robert D Goodman Foundation, Inc
Michael and Jocelyn Keiser
Michelle and Alan Ogilvie
Ron Phelps and Dacia DiMattia-Phelps
Barbara and Dave Sauer
Jeff Tews and Susan Rather
Generosity Level
$50,000–$99,999
Conroy Family Foundation
David and Nancy Walsh Family Foundation
Judith Fisher and Mark Allen
The Haag Family
Madison Gas & Electric Foundation
Susannah Michaels
Roots & Wings Foundation
Summit Credit Union
Dignity Level
$25,000–$49,999
Anonymous (4)
Mike and Lee Ann Dillis
Robert Garrison
Tim and Kim Hameister
Dan and Maggie Immerfall
J.H. Findorff & Son Inc.
Kuehn Family Foundation
Rich and Mary Lynch
Scott and Anne Michels
Gerry Ring
Kelly and Cathy Sheffield
Robert E. Shumaker and Janet Kilde Shumaker
Stephanie Sorensen
The Meester Family Foundation
Mary Van Hout
Erin, Jim, Jamie and Chase Warner
Ted and Cindy Witt
Empathy Level
$10,000–$24,999
Anonymous
Rhonda Adams and Jim Lenzer
Ben Ballweg
Dorothy Borchardt
Ron and Mary Jane Campo
Connect Search, LLC
Jim and Jessica Doyle
Cathie Easter and Susan Fischer
Barb and Mike Gosenheimer
Brian and Julie Hornung
Ken and Chris Johnson
Jennifer and Bill Kraemer
Ronald and Deborah Krantz
Devin Lundberg
Marlene Mack
Madison Mallards
MadiSUN Backyard Solar Grant Program
Sharon and Mike Mohr
PRL Keystone Foundation
Solar for Good
Mark and Celeste Taber
Wall Family Enterprise
Yehle Family
Advocates Level
$5,000–$9,999
Anonymous (3)
Terese Allen and Jim Block
Joyce and Daniel Bromley
Hope Christmann
Heartland Credit Union
Dan and Tracy Henderson
Ralph Tod Highsmith and Joan Braune
Irving and Dorothy Levy Family Foundation
Amy and JC Isaachsen
Madison Area Finishing Contractors
Nora Manheim
Marathon Community Investment Programs
Rona Neri
Shay and Kim Santos
EG and Barbara Schramka
The Wahlberg Family
TruStage Foundation
James and Deborah Walker
Wittwer Family Foundation Inc
Ring of Supporters Level
$2,500–$4,999
Anonymous (3)
Roger and Pat Birkett
Dennis and Beverly Brass
Susan Crawford
Sue Gilbertson
Hooper Foundation
Teresa and Dave Midthun
Louis and Kathryn Mingione
Martha Olson
Allen Rickey and Lane Revenal
Randy Shaver and Sharon Brantmeier
Andrew Shrago
Jim and Melissa Sirianni
Matt Suby at The Suby Group
The Blitz Family
Jim and Tonya Tubbs
Max Weber and Maureen Griffin
Laurie Svoboda Wegger
Campaign Leadership
Honorary Co-Chairs
Governor Jim and Jessica Doyle
Coach Kelly and Cathy Sheffield
Co-Chairs
Dave Beck-Engel
Ron Phelps
Advisors
Kelly Donahue
Bill Haight
Campaign Cabinet
Syed Abbas
Annie and Sam Ballweg
Pat Gallagher
Sue Gilbertson
Maggie Immerfall
Michelle and Alan Ogilvie
Shay Santos
Barb and Dave Sauer
Bob Shumaker
Jennifer Zisser
Campaign Contact
Have a question? Want to tour our current facility? Please contact our Executive Director, Rhonda Adams, at rhonda@riverfoodpantry.org.