River Food Pantry

Our goals include:

Community Builder:
• Be a leader in ending hunger by listening to all stakeholders, while actively seeking innovative solutions through collaborative partnerships.
• Build The River’s brand to create greater community awareness of our mission, vision, core values and enhanced role.

Services:
• Stabilize, strengthen and enhance our food supply chain.
• Establish alternative ways to incorporate client choice.
• Expand programs to increase access.

Facilities & Environment:
• Engage in conversation with potential partners to plan and acquire a facility that reflects the values and mission of The River.
• Optimize and enhance the safety and welcoming nature of the current facility.
• Extend our care for the environment.

Engagement:
• Nurture an organizational culture and environment that embodies our core values with our staff.
• Provide opportunities for individuals, families and groups to volunteer their time and talents.
• Offer a variety of opportunities to support The River’s mission.
• Listen and respond to the changing needs and concerns of clients.

Community Builder:
• Strengthen strategic communication and collaboration with other food agencies, educational institutions, health providers, and corporate partners.
• Serve as a connector between all stakeholders to help fulfill various needs throughout the community.
• Continue to seek opportunities to educate and inform the community.
• Amplify the voices of those experiencing hunger by continuing to intensify public awareness of the issues affecting food-insecure people and tell their stories.
• Empower staff, volunteers, board members, and advocates to share The River’s mission and vision.

Services:
• Expand food categories with special focus on nutrition, special dietary needs, and culturally diverse options.
• Strengthen key food supplier partnerships to leverage their strengths.
• Strengthen and expand partnerships with local food producers.
• Develop, implement and evolve online market.
• Expand choice offerings in all programs.
• Provide opportunities to reach more people facing food insecurity.
• Listen, learn and partner in order to best serve new households.
• Identify and address barriers that prevent people from accessing The River.

Facilities & Environment:
• Determine financial considerations and potential capital campaign strategy.
• Experiment and introduce process and user experience improvements that will be expanded upon in a new facility.
• Undertake additional initiatives for improving safety.
• Work to reduce food waste by collaborating with other community partners.
• Invest and enhance sustainable practices in operations, programs and facilities.

Engagement:
• Invest in our employees by providing professional development, paid volunteer opportunities, competitive benefits, living wages, and flexibility.
• Conduct regular training on topics that matter to our community, including DEI, to better serve our community.
• Recognize employees for their continual efforts and highlight employee efforts in marketing materials.
• Recognize volunteers to increase retention and evaluate ways to improve recruitment on a consistent basis.
• Expand volunteer opportunities and empower volunteers to meet the growing needs of our organization.
• Strengthen the volunteer experience with efforts to ensure they feel a part of a community/family.
• Develop standard operating procedures for all volunteer positions.
• Provide opportunities to educate and engage our community philanthropically.
• Recognize donors to increase participation.
• Expand strategies for growing support from foundations, businesses, service groups, faith communities, and individuals.
• Promote ways for the community to provide in-kind donations.
• Engage clients in continuous meaningful dialogue and decision-making through conversations and timely targeted surveys.
• Provide multiple channels for clients to reach out to staff.
• Regularly review, respond and incorporate client feedback when appropriate into our services.

The River operates on the generous support of thousands of dedicated volunteers. In 2021, 2,070 volunteers donated 29,434 hours valued at $840,046, an equivalent to 14 full-time employees.

Since 2006, The River Food Pantry has grown to become South Central Wisconsin's busiest food pantry. Originally serving only a handful of households, today we serve over 2,000 people every week.

2021 Achievements:
• Voted Best Charitable Organization in the Madison.com People’s Choice Awards.
• Launched an online ordering system, ePantry, to increase access to healthy food and restore client choice.
• Became the first redistribution organization of Second Harvest Foodbank to redirect food to other local organizations in need.
• Created nutrition education materials with health benefits, storage suggestions, and easy recipes for a wide variety of foods distributed at The River.
• Expanded variety by offering an abundance of fresh produce, special dietary items, and culturally relevant foods.
• Provided more than food, including masks, hand sanitizer, diapers, menstrual products, mattresses, winter wear, socks, flowers, and more.
• Organized special community events, including Curbside Breakfast with the Bunny, The River’s Birthday Bash, Make Music Madison, and a holiday gift program.
• Sought regular feedback from clients, volunteers, donors, staff, and partners to make improvements on schedules, offerings, operations, and more.