Marathon has partnered with Virent to present The River Food Pantry in Madison, Wisc., with a grant that will support its emergency food locker program.
The grant for $7,000 was presented to The River shortly after the new food locker program, called Food NOW (Nights or Weekends), launched. Two University of Wisconsin students, Akshay Kalra and Samantha Angelina, created the project as part of the Wisconsin Idea Fellowship Program.
The pantry, which serves thousands of people annually, recently installed 10 lockers outside its location, providing 24-hour access to those needing food assistance. The grant from Marathon will fill the lockers with food for a full year and will also help with program costs related to staffing and signage.
“We are so grateful to Akshay, Samantha and the Wisconsin Idea Fellowship Program for helping us provide this highly requested service,” said Rhonda Adams, executive director of The River, when the lockers were first announced to the public.
Food NOW was designed to meet a community-identified need for an after-hours food distribution system in Madison.
“We know that our neighbors facing food insecurity cannot always visit during our distribution hours. By providing a free 24/7 emergency food supply, Food NOW will increase convenience for community members to access enough food to get through the night or weekend until we are open again,” Adams said. “We are very grateful to community partners like Virent and Marathon for supporting Food NOW, while at the same time supporting The River’s overall mission of building a stronger community.”
“We are proud to work with The River, a wonderful organization which continues to seek new and innovative ways to meet the needs of our community,” said Virent’s Bob Rozmiarek, vice president of strategy and business development. “Virent is also working to build a stronger future through innovation with our renewable chemical and fuels technology.”
As the busiest food pantry in south central Wisconsin, The River serves over 2,500 people facing food insecurity each week, including adults, seniors, veterans, those experiencing homelessness and children.
