Mission
To provide a safe environment, resources and education to empower our community to reach their fullest potential through all life stages.
At Neighborhood House, we pride ourselves on putting our mission into practice every day. That goal was put to the test in 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic. As needs rose exponentially, we faced never-before-seen challenges. Despite these obstacles, we remain committed to supporting those in our community who need it most. Through the hard work and dedication of staff and volunteers, and the outpouring of community support, we have been able to adapt our programs to maintain meal service and wellness checks for seniors and their pets in Peoria and Tazewell counties, as well as youth in Peoria.
Food insecurity has reached record-high levels both locally and nationally as a result of COVID-19. Neighborhood House is dedicated to meeting our clients’ needs regardless of the pandemic.
One of our families receiving meals was forced to relocate due to a faulty water heater and failed attempts to find resolution with their landlord. This didn’t stop us from delivering daily hot meals and offering support as they temporarily moved to a hotel and then finally back into their home.
The support of so many within our community enabled us to grow our Meals on Wheels program more than 50 percent—an addition of over 500 senior citizens during the first several months of the pandemic. Unfortunately, due to the continued lack of funding, we have had to reduce our daily meal deliveries to just 700 and have been forced to implement a wait list that has grown to over 300 potential clients. We are devoted to finding a solution so we can continue to serve our most vulnerable population.
Outside of pandemic vulnerability, several of our Meals on Wheels clients are unable to grocery shop or stand long enough to cook on their own due to physical or medical limitations. One client, who uses a wheelchair, recently shared she is grateful for the extra care our meal delivery drivers take to deliver her meals inside so she doesn’t have to risk using the stairs. We care about our clients’ well-being and strive to support them through all life stages.
A significant part of caring for our clients is ensuring their companion animals also receive proper nutrition. Neighborhood House understands the important role a pet serves in the mental health of a homebound senior who lives alone. Through community support and generous donations, we have been able to offer pet food to over 150 pets.
For over 125 years, Neighborhood House has been providing resources and education to empower our community. Through the acquisition of Common Place, we have been able to expand our adult programming to include literacy and GED programs, reducing barriers for our clients seeking employment.
Several of our clients are working hard to achieve their goals and we are seeing them succeed. Whether it’s raising their reading level so they can read to their grandchildren, receiving their GED, or using financial and employment services to find careers, they are utilizing our free programs to reach their fullest potential and provide for themselves and their families.
Neighborhood House is proud to continue to hold true to our mission while maintaining our tradition of adaptive services to best fulfill the needs of our community.
How to Help
You can help support Neighborhood House and our community by volunteering your time to tutor our kids and adult learners, mentoring and job coaching, bagging bread for Meals on Wheels, serving Sunday meals to local families or helping with a holiday program. You can also donate to one of our programs at nhpeoria.org. For more information regarding volunteering, sponsoring events or donations, please contact Brent Oest at [email protected].
Neighborhood House
1020 S. Matthew Street
Peoria, IL 61605
(309) 674-1131
nhpeoria.org
Facebook: @NeighborhoodHousePeoria
Instagram: @NeighborhoodHousePeoria
Bryna Ryan, Interim CEO
Kari Clark, Interim COO & HR Director
Brent Oest, Development Director
Bryan Parker, Building and Fleet Director
Manda Brown, Meals on Wheels Director
Ericka Ivory, Adult Services Director
Trevor Neff, Youth Services Director
Annette Stahl, Kitchen Director
