It was perfect timing when I got the email from Rhonda at The River Food Pantry. I used to volunteer there since it opened 15 years ago, but lately my back issues prevent me from helping those who need our help in person. That is why Rhonda’s email was perfect timing because it reminded me (and you in turn) that we CAN help those in need by helping The River help them! Donations to the River are certainly needed as they are serving more people than ever before.  If you can’t help in person (by volunteering), please consider joining me to help them using their new monthly donation program with a BIG BONUS. Yes, I said BIG BONUS! When you sign up to donate monthly a GENEROUS somebody will donate $500 to the River. Yes, $500 for EVERY SINGLE PERSON who signs up for automated monthly donations, even just $20 per month. But this needn’t be an “Either Or” choice … it can be “Both And” because you can both volunteer AND donate (which what I did for a decade). And I know that The River is truly grateful in all cases!

Let’s start the new year being grateful and generous ourselves. Let’s start with a little less for us and a little more for someone else. Let’s start the new year acknowledging what Jesus told his followers, when they wondered why he said that they had helped him when he was hungry (after all, they may never have even met him!). Here is what they said … and how Jesus replied:

Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food?… I tell you this: whenever you saw a brother or sister hungry or cold, whatever you did to the least of these, so you did to Me. (Gospel of Matthew 25:37-40)

So … let’s help our neighbors who need our help. And just in case you are wondering just how much help that really amounts to … take a look back at the summary for last year (click it to zoom):

Oh … in case you forgot … this is the impact that The River Food Pantry made right here with our neighbors in Dane County! Here is a way to remember how we can help help others:

Now, let me share the Email from Rhonda at The River with you:

To kick off 2022, an anonymous donor has offered $500 to The River Food Pantry for each person who becomes a new monthly donor! We invite you to start giving monthly today.

By giving monthly, you will help provide stability and help us to better plan our budget. Plus, your ongoing donations will help to further cut down administrative costs, which will empower our staff to focus more on what matters most: our mission to provide food, resources and faith to build a stronger community.

Two ways to begin monthly giving:

    • Online with your credit card: Visit riverfoodpantry.org/500 and select your monthly donation amount.
    • Via your bank account (ACH): Complete this online form. Print the completed form and mail it in with a voided check to The River at 2201 Darwin Road, Madison, WI 53704.

Questions about your preferred donation method? Please contact julie@riverfoodpantry.org or call (608) 442-8815 ext. 5.

As a monthly giver, you will become part of something much bigger than yourself. You will become part of a community of sustaining donors who provide hope all year long to thousands of children, seniors, veterans and families in Dane County.

Thank you for your consideration.

Gratefully,

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Rhonda Adams

Executive Director

P.S. The same donor is also giving $500 to The River for every existing monthly donor who raises their level of giving!

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If you are wondering what will happen when you click the links (colored blue in Rhonda’s email), here is the webform for credit card monthly donations that you will see:Fill this in and click DONATE MONTHLY and this page comes up next:

I didn’t want Facebook handling this so I filled out the info to do it myself and clicked CONTINUE and got this next screen:

Of course the monthly amount will match what YOU specified on the previous page. But make sure you notice that by default they are ADDING 3% to your donation amount to cover the transaction fees. You can click on the tan check mark circle to slide it OFF if you don’t want your donation amount increased (I turned it off for mine, but you might really like this feature … just be sure it is set the way you want it). Now fill in the Credit Card details, click the continue button and you get a thank you screen (plus an email for tax purposes since it is tax deductible):

If you’d prefer NOT to use a credit card for your monthly donation, you also can set up an automated withdrawal out of your Bank Account! That was the 2nd blue link in Rhonda’s email. If you click that link you will see a screen like this:

That’s how you can automatically be helping The River each and every month. And, yes, you can turn off this automation at any time, but hopefully try it for at least a year!