RCR PACIL

Here's an important upcoming resource fair for unhoused people.

Market 309 Closure Notice

Due to extreme cold weather,
Market 309 will be CLOSED
Sunday, December 14

We are prioritizing the safety and well-being of our volunteers, their families, and our community.

We will reopen on Sunday, December 21, for our Christmas Market.

Thank you for your understanding.
We apologize for any inconvenience

We talk a lot about ending hunger, fixing food deserts, and treating food as medicine. But none of it matters unless families have real access and real affordability. Committees, seminars, SDOH (Social Determinants of Health) screenings, recipes, research, food demos. We say all the right things, but food cannot be medicine if families cannot afford or access it.

Families without nutritious food face higher rates of chronic illness and spend 1,863 dollars more each year on healthcare, adding up to 77.5 billion dollars in AVOIDABLE costs nationwide.

Yet despite the millions Peoria has poured into food programs and projects, families are not seeing lasting change. Most efforts offer temporary fixes, not real solutions, and the gap is only growing.

COVID and the shutdown made this painfully clear. When SNAP disappeared, food was handed out, but nutrition, choice, and dignity were missing. Politics took priority, and families were left to deal with the fallout. To some, going without fresh food may seem like a minor inconvenience, but for families, it is a real and harmful loss.

If we want lower healthcare costs and healthier communities, leaders must invest in real food access and give families the means to live healthy lives.

A healthy, thriving city is not measured by how many programs it has, but by how few families need them.

Let’s move Peoria toward real solutions rooted in dignity, not political games.

Thanksgiving Day has been busy around Dream Center Peoria. As we welcomed our homeless guests with a smile, a hug, and served everyone a Thanksgiving meal, we also turned our attention to the upcoming first winter storm of the season.
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We will be a warming and safety center for the city of Peoria during the bitter lowering temps and snow storm. If you see a lady, child, fathering dad or family out in the cold, direct them to our building.
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Not only will there be a smiling face to welcome everyone, but we will also have 3 meals prepared, drinks, basic hygiene items if needed, warm showers and beds in warm rooms.
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714 HAMILTON BLVD, PEORIA IL
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And if you see a single male please direct them to Pathway Ministries 601 SW Adams, Peoria.
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If you want to help with the care of our homeless guest’s at this time,
please visit dreamcenterpeoria.org/give

List of food pantries serving Central Illinois compiled by Heart of Illinois 211 Schnucks also announced a food drive, starting today through Nov. 11, supporting local food banks and pantries as demand grows while SNAP benefits are paused.

Heart of Illinois 2-1-1 - Heart of Illinois United Way Heart of Illinois connects callers to critical health and human care programs. It's free, confidential and available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

LOCAL EMERGENCY RELIEF- FOOD & TOILETRY ITEMS

Dream Center Peoria is launching a local emergency relief initiative in response to the growing needs being experienced by the families we are already serving and other individuals and families in the community facing increased costs for food, utilities, housing, and more. We have been receiving a higher volume of calls and requests due to a heightened concern to which we want to offer practical assistance.

Beginning Tuesday, November 4th, we will partner with the following churches as drop-off sites from 10am to noon for non-perishable food items and personal toiletry/hygiene items:

Tuesdays – Northwoods Community Church
(10700 N Allen Rd, Peoria)

Wednesdays – RockChurch
(1081 Upper Spring Bay Rd, East Peoria/Germantown Hills)

Thursdays – New Life Christian Church
(401 W Edgewood Ct, Morton)

If your church or business would like to participate by collecting donations, please coordinate to deliver those items to DCP every Tuesday through Thursday between 10am and 3pm, or call to coordinate alternative options.

For more information, go to dreamcenterpeoria.org/food

Due to recent federal changes and delays in SNAP benefits, our on-campus food pantry, Cosmo's Cupboard, will begin accepting shelf-stable food donations starting Monday, November 3.

Donations can be dropped off at the following locations:
📍 East Peoria Campus: Advising Center (CC200)
📍 Peoria Campus: Counseling Center (S221)

We will also be accepting cash donations at the East Peoria Advising Center (CC200) to help purchase fresh and frozen items such as ground pork and beef. Please see the front desk staff in CC200 to make a cash donation.

For large donations or any questions, please contact [email protected].

UPDATE. This has ended.

We have been so blessed by the community with food donations we are running out of space! Thank you so much to all who have donated and continue to donate. We have a table set up out front of the thrift store of bread and produce. Please come by and help yourself but as always think of others as well.