The cupboards are nearly bare at a local food pantry, and the Village of Peoria Heights is stepping in to help while asking for the public’s assistance.
At the invitation of Peoria Heights Mayor Michael Phelan, the leaders of the St. Thomas Catholic Church pantry program addressed the Heights Village Board recently to report that demand for food has soared as federal food assistance has been cut. The mayor characterized the situation as “a crisis.”
Diana Janda, who runs the pantry program at St. Thomas, noted that some 160 families representing about 500 people have been coming in for food, compared to a little more than 100 before. While the pantry would spend up to $400 a month previously to complement its supply of foodstuffs from Heart of Illinois Harvest and other charitable sources, in April of this year it spent twice that, in May triple that, reported Janda. In addition, the church pantry needs to replace a 30-year-old commercial cooler, she said.
While the pantry’s service area is ZIP code 61616 in Peoria Heights, “we don’t turn anybody away who comes in looking for food the first time,” said Janda. “People from Peoria Heights can come once a month to get a large bag of groceries,” while fresh produce and bakery items are available once a week.