2022 April Neighborhood House Quarterly Newsletter

Neighborhood House

1020 S. Matthew St Peoria, IL 61605 www.nhpeoria.org April 2022

Quarterly Newsletter

Cooking Up Funds through Food Fight!

What a fun filled event! It was so incredible to have everyone together again for the good of Neighborhood House and for our first inperson fundraiser since 2020. Thank you to everyone who attended, sponsored and donated to Food Fight. We greatly appreciate all your support! Together we raised $50,000, which will definitely make a big impact for our programs!

Our 10 competing chefs were given quite the challenge by using every item in our mystery bags to create a dish that would wow our judges in just 45 minutes. This year’s mystery bags included: skirt steak, calamari, grapes, Cool Ranch Doritos and string cheese.

The talent of our competing chefs never ceases to amaze us. Even with those ingredients, they created amazing dishes.

Congratulations to our Food Fight winners!

1st Place - Joe Gresham, The Cookery 2nd Place - Golda Ewalt, OSF 3rd Place - Seth Colvin, Suite Fire Bar & Grille People’s Choice - Jeff Madden, Kemp 208 Thank you to all 10 of our competing chefs for donating your time, talent and even treasure by donating so many amazing auction items.

Your participation made this event possible and helped us raise awareness and funds for our vital community meal programs.

We are so thankful for all of your support and hope you will mark your calendar to join us again next year for our 9th Annual Food Fight, Thursday, February 23, 2023!

Inside this issue March for Meals ..................... 2 Critters Meals on Wheels........ 2 RAGBRAI ................................ 3

Saddle Up .............................. 3 Youth Services ........................ 4 Food Pantry & Sunday Meals .. 4 Adult Education ...................... 5 Shopping to Support Our Community ............................ 5

March for Meals Thank you to all of our donors & supporters! You are helping to make a difference for so many.

Senior Citizen’s Meals 1 Month ................. $110 6 Months ................ $650 1 Year ..................... $1,300 Senior Citizen’s Pet 1 Month ................. $42 6 Months ................ $250 1 Year ..................... $500 1 Food Pantry Box .. $100 www.nhpeoria.org

This March, Meals on Wheels America celebrated 50 years of providing home delivered meals to senior citizens in need.

Neighborhood House is proud to be a partnering member of Meals on Wheels America, providing daily nutritious meals and wellness checks to homebound seniors. We were happy to share in this 50th anniversary celebration and worked to educate our community about the local food insecurity that too many face.

We had several individuals visit during our Community Champions Week to volunteer and participate in the meal preparation and deliveries. This furthered their knowledge and awareness of all the work and dedication that goes into our program.

A big thank you to our Community Champion volunteers, Shelbey Roberts, Kyreon Lee, Rebecca Brumfield, Zach & Heather Oyler and Andre Allen, for participating and helping us advocate for our Seniors and our Meals on Wheels program.

We are passionate about the well-being of homebound senior citizens and with your support we will continue to ensure they retain the comfort that comes with that familiar knock at the door.

“The greatest good is what we do for one another.”

– Mother Teresa

Critter Meals on Wheels

Companion animals help fight the isolation that 1 in 4 seniors face.

Your support makes this program possible for our homebound seniors.

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Studies show that having a pet can reduce stress, enhance self-esteem and combat loneliness and emotional isolation.

Here at Neighborhood House we value our Senior Citizen’s mental health just as much as their physical health. It is our pleasure to support this need for the seniors within our Meals on Wheels program. Through the support of community partners and your donations we will continue to provide for this need.

To learn more or to support this program, please contact Folanda James, folandaj@nhpeoria.org, 309-674-1131 ext. 243.

RAGBRAI - Pedaling Wheels to Provide Meals We are thrilled to once again have a group of riders who are excited to participate in RAGBRAI (Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa) on our behalf July 23-30, 2022.

Scan here to support our RAGBRAI riders as they prepare to travel 430 miles across Iowa and support our Meals on Wheels program www.nhpeoria.org

This annual, week-long event challenges cyclists to travel a 430-mile statewide route across Iowa.

Our riders have agreed to Pedal Wheels to Provide Meals for Neighborhood House.

You can support them and our programs without pedaling by supporting our riders on their trek across Iowa. Visit our website to help support their fundraising efforts.

If you are interested in learning more or becoming a RAGBRAI Sponsor, please contact Amanda Rassi amandar@nhpeoria.org, 309-674-1131 ext. 246

Putting the FUN back in Fundraising

Save the Date for Saddle Up 2022 Friday, August 26th, 2022 at PAR-A-DICE Hotel & Casino

www.nhpeoria.org 3

We are excited to announce that planning has begun for Saddle Up 2022!

Make plans to join us for this countrywestern themed fun-filled event, featuring a live band, whiskey tastings, silent and live auctions. We are excited to return to our in-person events and once again fundraise for our community programs in this way.

We hope to see you there. Watch our website and social media for event details and ticket information coming soon.

Youth Services Neighborhood House is proud to offer year-round support to area youth and families through our After-School and Summer Programs. These programs provide educational support, fun activities, a daily hot meal and a safe place for our youth each weekday. However the support goes far beyond those important tangible supports.

For more information on supporting our Youth programs, contact Patrick Randall 309-674-1131 ext. 244 patrickr@nhpeoria.org

Our youth staff recently shared a story of a young student who was struggling with difficult situations beyond their control after being taken from their mother, separated from their siblings and placed into temporary foster care. Facing so many new changes, new programs, and schools, our student began feeling lost and alone. This student felt safe with Neighborhood House staff to confide their feelings and shared they were experiencing teasing at school due to their lower reading skills and inability to sound out words. Our amazing staff stepped in and began offering additional educational support to our student as well as emotional support. Staff gave the student journal time and more individual one-on-one time to talk about their feelings and all they were experiencing. We are thrilled to see vast improvement as this student has increased their reading by two grade levels in less than 6 months!

Each day we see more of this student’s personality shinning brighter as their confidence grows and they feel more comfortable with their own feelings.

This is why we do what we do here at Neighborhood House! Your continued support enables us to support more children and families in this way.

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

– Helen Keller

Food Pantry & Sunday Meals Sunday Meals 11:30 am—1:30 pm

Volunteers are needed to support these programs.

Food Pantry Open 2nd & 4th Thursday of the Month 10:00 am—12:00 pm

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We are passionate about ensuring no one is going hungry and are pleased to provide our Food Pantry and Sunday Meal programs to support those in our community who face food insecurity.

We are fortunate to have dedicated volunteers like Sandy and Phil Anton who consistently support our Food Pantry program by volunteering every week. Sandy was recently recognized for her outstanding work with the Volunteer of the Year Award from the Food Network.

Congratulations, Sandy! Thank you for sharing your volunteerism with Neighborhood House and your continued support of our programs.

To learn more or to support this program, please contact Folanda James, 309-674-1131 ext. 243, folandaj@nhpeoria.org

Adult Education & Financial Empowerment & Employment Services

Currently in Need of GED English Teachers & One-on-One Tutors Online Tutor Training available on the last Tuesday of each Month

Our adult learners are on site again and we are thrilled to see them working towards their goals through our adult programming, including literacy and GED. These educational programs will also help reduce barriers for our clients seeking employment. Several of our clients are working hard to achieve their goals and we are seeing them succeed.

We are proud to report we have had our first GED Graduate!

We are beyond thrilled for our graduating student and are eager to support more students as they work to reach their goals as well.

Neighborhood House is happy to provide these free programs to our clients; however, we need your help to do it. Our adult education program is in need of volunteers to teach and tutor our students. All that is necessary is your willingness and time. We will equip you with the tools needed through our tutor training and support you every step of the way.

If you are interested in learning more please contact, Ericka Ivory, erickai@nhpeoria.org, 309-674-1131 ext. 239.

Even if you just change one life, you’ve changed the world forever.

Shopping to Support Our Community Did you know you can support Neighborhood House through your regular shopping at no additional cost to you?

Thank you to all of our donors & supporters!

It is because of you that we are able to make a difference for so many in our community. www.nhpeoria.org 5

Many corporate organizations have charitable giving that donates a percentage of your spending to the charity of your choosing at no additional cost to you. Programs like Kroger Community Rewards & Amazon Smile donate millions of dollars annually to local charities designated by their customers. As a non-profit, Neighborhood House qualifies and we would be thrilled if you would consider adding us as the beneficiary of these free charitable programs.

Set up is quick, simple and there is no additional cost to you. Visit the websites below for step-by-step instructions.

Kroger Community Rewards www.kroger.com/i/community/community-rewards Amazon Smile www.smile.amazon.com/charity

Neighborhood House 1020 S. Matthew St Peoria, IL 61605 www.nhpeoria.org

Our Mission: To provide a safe environment, resources, and education to empower our community to reach their fullest potential through all life-stages.

Scan here to support our life-changing programs.

See The Impact Your Donations Are Making Neighborhood House has an incredible team working every day to provide resources to our community. We are excited to announce the addition of Team Tuesday! This weekly social media feature will introduce you to the staff and volunteers that help us serve our community. Check our social media pages to learn more about our amazing team.

@NeighborhoodHousePeoria

Thank you to all our donors and supporters! It is because of YOU that we are able to hold true to our mission and continue to make a difference in the lives of so many right here in our community.

Your contributions are making an impact! Follow us on social media to see the impact your donations are making. www.nhpeoria.org