2020 August Neighborhood House Quarterly Newsletter

Neighborhood House 1020 S. Matthew St Peoria, IL 61605 www.nhpeoria.org August 2020

Quarterly Newsletter We Rise By Lifting Others

Inside this issue Adapting Fundraising to COVID - 19 ................................ 2

Thank you for partnering with us to ensure the vulnerable children and seniors in Peoria and Tazewell counties are not going hungry! It is because of YOU and your support that we have been able to not only maintain, but increase and pivot our critical services to meet the current needs of our community when they have needed it most.

Sponsorship Opportunities ... .. 2

Without our donors and volunteers, we would not have been able to: • Add 538 additional seniors to our Meals on Wheels program since March. A number that continues to grow as we add 22 new clients per week.

• Switch our tutoring program to daily meal delivery for kids. We started serving 60 kids and have seen that number climb up to 235 kids.

• Increase our food pantry by 850%

Adult Education........................ 5

Like you we are committed to our community!

As our state cautiously reopens, we recognize those needs are still present as we continue to receive referrals for all of these programs.

Without your continued support, we will not be able to keep providing for these needs of the community.

Visit www.nhpeoria.org to donate or email Trevor Neff at trevorn@nhpeoria.org to learn how you can volunteer.

Thank you for partnering with us!

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

2021 Events ........................... .. 3 Community Support & Online Giving ............................ 3 Summer Meals ......................... 4 Sunday Meals & Pantry ............ 4 Meals on Wheels...................... 5

Critters Meals On Wheels ........ 5 Holiday Community Events ...... 6

2-1-1 211 is the most comprehensive source of locally curated social services information in the U.S. Available 24/7/365 Call, text or chat with your local 211 to speak with a community resource specialists in your area who will help you find services and resources that are available to you.

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Emergency Information

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Employment & Education Opportunities

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Health Care Information

Visit www.211.org to learn more and find more available resources.

Adapting Fundraising to COVID-19 Without the charitable gifts from local individuals & organizations, the work we do & the impact we have would not be quite as magnanimous.

Thank you to all of our donors & sponsors!

As part of our mission we strive to provide a safe environment for our community. With the ever-changing situation and uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, we have made the difficult decision to cancel our RAGBRAI and Saddle Up fundraisers for 2020.

This $150,000 anticipated loss in revenue will significantly impact the free services we provide our community. Our team is working diligently to adapt and host virtual fundraising opportunities to help prevent this negative impact on our services.

We are offering our sponsors and fellow community advocates an opportunity to continue to support those who need it most by supporting one of our life-changing programs.

Sponsorship Opportunities Meals on Wheels Senior Citizen’s Meals for a Month................$110 Senior Citizen’s Meals for 6 Months ..............$650 Senior Citizen’s Meals for a Year ...................$1,300

Critters Meals on Wheels Senior Citizen’s Pet for a Month ....................$42 Senior Citizen’s Pet for 6 Months ..................$250 Senior Citizen’s Pet for a Year ........................$500

Kids Meals 200 Children’s Meals for 1 Day ..................... $550

Adult Education and Financial Empowerment Monthly Lunch & Learn Sessions ................. $100 One Adult Learner’s GED Classes .................. $120 Financial Empowerment & Job Coaching ..... $1,525

Food Pantry One Food Pantry Box ..................................... $100

To donate visit www.nhpeoria.org For more information on sponsorships and customizing options, contact Brent Oest at 309-674-1131 or brento@nhpeoria.org 2

Save the Date for 2021 Event Fundraisers We look forward to when we will once again be able to gather in person to show support for our community. We hope you will join us. Mark your 2021 calendars for our three fun filled fundraisers.

Food Fight February 18, 2021 RAGBRAI July 25-31, 2021 Saddle Up August 27, 2021

“Giving is not just about making a donation, it’s about making a difference.”

- Kathy Calvin

Community Support Opportunities & Online Giving Here at Neighborhood House we pride ourselves on providing quality essential services to those in need in Peoria and Tazewell County. However, we cannot provide these services alone. We rely on the generosity of our community and the amazing support of individuals and business donors like you.

What does giving look like at Neighborhood House? Rest assured, your donation is being put to good use.

• 50% increase in Meals on Wheels Clients • 1,500 Senior Citizens served • 850% Increase in the food pantry, 363 families served • 3,000 Food pantry boxes distributed • 235 Children receiving hot meals daily • 159 Senior Citizen’s pets and companion animals fed through Critters on Wheels • 58 Adults were assisted in finding jobs and improving their financial literacy • 800 Coats were given away • 1,500 Bags of wrapped Christmas gifts were delivered to Seniors • 597 Children received holiday toys

There is not a one size fits all model for giving.

Neighborhood House offers a variety of ways for individuals to donate. We are sure we have an option that is just right for you!

• Mail • Online www.nhpeoria.org/giving/donations • Social Media - Facebook • Recurring Donations • Estate Planning • IRA Donations • Company Match We are always more than happy to discuss the different donation options we have with an individual or group.

309-674-1131 www.nhpeoria.org Thank you for being an advocate of Neighborhood House. We cannot do what we do without you!

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Summer Meals During COVID-19 This summer we partnered with WTVP and Peoria Regional Office of Education to deliver education materials to the 235 children we deliver meals to in the 61605 zip code.

WTVP also offered additional programming for our kids to access. Thank you to our friends at Heart of Illinois Big Brothers Big Sisters for helping us deliver these meals and educational materials.

Visit www.nhpeoria.org to donate and learn how you can help.

As our local schools return to session, whether in-person or remote learning, food insecurity and community needs are still present. Local 2-1-1 reports a 60% increase in food insecurity related calls.

Here at Neighborhood House we are committed to helping our children year round no matter the circumstances. We will continue meal deliveries to our children, as well as enrichment materials provided through Teen Reach.

When the school day stops, that shouldn’t mean meals stop too.

Feeding children and families after school & work, on the weekends, and over summer vacation helps build & maintain a strong community.

Sunday Meals and Pantry Programs Through the generosity of our community and volunteers, we have been able to keep our pantry program open, even adding additional days, as the community needs rise.

Thank you to all our community partners for your support and volunteerism.

Making a difference!

872 Volunteers to date providing 5,609 hours 262 Volunteers during COVID-19 providing 1,292 hours

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Whether it was preparing meals, donating food to our pantry, helping with landscaping or delivering meals you have made it possible for us to continue to provide services to our community.

Our pantry continues to remain open every Thursday at 10:00 a.m.

We have a need for Sunday meal servers as several of our regular volunteers have had to reallocate time. If you are interested in helping us fill this need, contact Trevor Neff at 309-674-1131 or trevorn@nhpeoria.org.

We are all in this together and are proud to be apart of such a giving community.

Meals on Wheels

Here at Neighborhood House, we are dedicated to providing safe and healthy meals as well as daily wellness checks to our senior citizens whom are most at risk during this pandemic. Since March we have increased our Meals on Wheels program by 50%, an addition of 538 senior citizens. That number continues to grow as we add 22 new clients each week.

We will continue to take extra precautions with cleaning and sanitation throughout our entire building to ensure the health and safety of our clients and staff.

In addition, we recently received over 1,000 shelf stable meals from our community partners at Midwest Food Bank. Those meals will be delivered to all our clients in the event we are unable to deliver meals due to reduced staffing. By partnering together we can ensure we continue to serve our community through these uncertain times.

“Just when I think everyday how much I appreciate getting a nice meal from you and your staff, I was even more grateful that you all thought ahead to see that we seniors will have food just in case they can’t make our regular delivery.”

Adult Education As our state cautiously reopens we excitedly reopened our doors to our adult learners. Despite the months apart and many other COVID-19 related complications we are thrilled to see how our adult learners are thriving. Several of our students are achieving and exceeding their goals.

One student has raised their reading level by 6 grade levels!

Another raised theirs an entire grade level in just 9 months!

Critter Meals on Wheels The emotional and mental health of our Meals on Wheels clients is equally as important as their physical health.

Seniors who are able to keep their pets have a reduction in loneliness, anxiety and depression.

We are proud to help make this possible for our seniors through our Critter Meals on Wheels program.

However as the needs of our community increase we are struggling to keep up with those needs.

We are currently in critical need of 7-10 lb bags of dog/cat food.

For more information about how to donate, call Trevor at 674-1131 ext. 243 or email trevorn@nhpeoria.org

We are so proud of all our students and strive to empower them to reach their fullest potential. Thank you to our tutors who volunteer their time to help provide our students tools for success.

To learn more about our education programs, volunteer or become a tutor visit our website. www.nhpeoria.org

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

Holiday Community Support Events Like our spring and summer events, we anticipate our winter and holiday events will look differently this year. However the community needs remain the same. We are committed to continuing to provide for those needs and are working on adapting our holiday events to do so safely.

It’s in these tough times we rely on your support and generosity to enable us to hold true to our mission. www.nhpeoria.org

Winter Coat Giveaway We are currently accepting donations of new or gently used winter coats, hats, scarves and gloves for our Annual Winter Coat Giveaway on Friday, October 23rd. 6:30 a.m. - 5:00 pm.

Donations will be accepted until October 20th.

Monday - Friday: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Santa for Seniors While we won’t be wrapping this year, we will need volunteers to deliver our Santa for Senior gifts.

Children’s Toy Shop We will be adapting our Children’s Toy Shop into an Angel Tree for the kids within our meal delivery program. We plan to have a list of children and families by November.

Contact Trevor Neff, trevorn@nhpeoria.org, to learn how to help.