Emergency Services

The Peoria Friendship House of Christian Service provides many emergency services to people in the surrounding community who are in need. Unfortunate or unforeseen situations may arise in anyone's life when a person may need assistance with certain living costs. The Friendship House offers emergency service programs which help individuals with rent and utility payments to help deter homelessness. There is also limited prescription assistance where interruption of medication would present a life-threatening situation. Friendship House has provided over $50,000 in prescriptions.  The Friendship House also provides support for the needs of mothers and babies by promoting parenting skills and providing diapers, infant formula and layettes. Our Thrift Closet is open 8:30am-10:30am on Thursdays in the Friendship House's gym. Good used clothing and household items may be purchased at 25 cents per item.

A major part of the emergency services program provided by the Peoria Friendship House is its food pantry. The Friendship House has an emergency food pantry for low income persons in need within most of the 61603 area code. Referrals to the weekly food pantry are coordinated with other local food pantries. The Friendship House's food pantry is open every Wednesday from 12:30-2:00pm. The Friendship House also provides its neighborhood residents and clients free bread and food products in cooperation with the Illinois Harvest agency. Our Sunday Soup Kitchen, one of the only in the Peoria area, serves about 400 people per month. At the Soup Kitchen, food is served and free clothing is available from 11:30am-1:00pm.

In the year 2000, the Friendship House's emergency services food pantry provided 38,000 meals to individuals and handled over 18,000 requests for assistance. The Peoria Friendship House continues to be a tremendous help to those in the community who are in need and face emergency situations.