Since the onset of COVID-19, Neighborhood House has seen a dramatic uptick in demand for their services in Peoria and Tazewell Counties. The normal every other week food pantry proved to be in high demand and it has noticed an 800% increase since mid-March. With other pantries temporarily closing down for the time being, Neighborhood House is now serving some of those clients as well. Many people locally, as well as nationally, have visited a food pantry for the very first time.
Before COIVD-19 Neighborhood House served about 750 meals daily to seniors in Peoria and Tazewell County through their Meals on Wheels program. However, in the weeks since the shelter in place order many seniors are homebound that would not have been otherwise. Senior meal delivery is now approaching 930 meals daily.
A program that Neighborhood House hadn’t had established until recent events were feeding kids a daily hot meal at home. What started with 60 kids has dramatically escalated to 200 kids served daily.
The food pantry boxes are also being distributed to kids and homebound seniors with a lack of access to nutrition. Keeping the food pantry open to meet the demand has caused uncertainty. While Neighborhood House has received generous donations to keep the program running, the pantry shelves are stocked on a week to week basis.
If anyone would like to donate food to Neighborhood House they can drop it off anytime M-F 830a-3p at Neighborhood House @ 1020 S. Matthew St. in Peoria.
