The Peoria Area Food Bank is on the move. It hosted its first-ever mobile food bank Monday in front of the former Madison Park Plaza Kroger store.
Participants selected produce and non-perishable items, and a local church provided student backpacks. Agency Relations Specialist Jeanette Wennmacher says the goal is to provide more options in Peoria’s food desert.
“There are very few choices for these residents around here as far as a grocery store that is close and there are a lot of low-income residents around here who don’t have regular transportation," says Wennmacher.
Wennmacher adds the Peoria Area Food Bank is hoping to determine a regular schedule for mobile events.
“We’re going to be attempting to do this on a monthly basis in different locations throughout Peoria, especially in this food desert," says Wennmacher.
The food bank is a program of the Peoria Citizens Committee for Economic Opportunity. It serves more than 70 pantries, soup kitchens and shelters in Peoria, Tazewell and Mason counties.