by Rebecca Brumfield and Sean Lisitza
Apr 29, 2020
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Feeding people and providing meals at home. It’s the mission of Peoria’s Neighborhood House, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to a donation from local philanthropist, Kim Blickenstaff, the non-profit will be able to continue serving the community.
Despite COVID-19 restricting programs, Neighborhood House continues to support those in need. Volunteers are putting forth 1,500 hours of service. “This donation is going to allow us to not only continue with what we’re doing but continue to grow with the need,” said CEO of Neighborhood House, Becky Rossman.
For volunteers like Britt Ewalt, providing meals even to first-timers brought a sense of community to the forefront. “Nobody should feel bad about anything that happens and if they need the help,” said Ewalt. “Come and get the help. That’s what it’s there for.”
Entrepreneur Kim Blickenstaff pledged $40,000 to Neighborhood House Tuesday just as the United Way’s funding was set to expire at the end of April.
“We increased our food pantry by 800% with the amount of food we were putting out,” said Rossman. “We are now feeding 180 children.” Neighborhood House also provides Meals on Wheels for seniors and Critter Meals on Wheels, which feeds the elderly’s pets.
“We’ve added 200 seniors since March 16,” said Rossman. “So we have more pets in the program. So we’re looking for donations of six to 10 lb. bags of dog and cat food.” The Neighborhood House food pantry is offering “take and go” boxes every Thursday at 10 a.m.