Shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic surged last March, Peoria resident Kelli Martin decided to help the community as best she could.
Her idea was to put a free food box or cabinet in front of her West Bluff home, where people in need could grab some canned goods, clothes or household items.
“But I couldn’t find a cabinet, so I just put this old table out on my porch and plunked everything down on it and put a sign out,” said Martin.
That idea blossomed as friends and neighbors contributed more and more items to the offering. Martin had to put out a second table, then a third, and eventually she had to remove all the chairs and a swing on the proch.
“A nice gentlemen gave me a donation so I could buy racks because if I had racks, I could hold more things,” she said. “It kind of exploded from there and now I have, like, a little store on my porch. It’s taken on a life of its own.”
But despite her charitable efforts, Martin has faced economic challenges of her own. She was furloughed from a hospital job in May and her husband, Charlie, is unable to work.
“I have teenagers and I have little kids and I was telling one of my friends that I was just worried that Christmas was going to be really thin this year,” said Martin. “Then she just took that and went running with it.”
That friend was Kristen Meierkord, who started a social media campaign asking people for donations to help provide the Martins with a joyful holiday.
“Because they have done something so selfless by opening up their home seven days a week for the community and have helped so many people, their lives have been put on hold,” said Meierkord. “So I thought that we needed to give them some recognition, and the best way to do that would be to give their family a great Christmas.”
Meierkord said the response to the donation drive has been incredible in just a short amount of time.
“I didn’t expect it to be the way it has and I’m so grateful for it,” she said. “It’s been wonderful. I’ve had people at my house ringing my doorbell every couple hours; I’ve been driving all around the city picking up items, some great gifts for the kids. So it’s coming in from all over the community.”
Martin said she didn’t start the pantry to get any rewards for herself and her family, but seeing the generosity come around full circle is uplifting.
“Sometimes, it seems like it takes a long time to happen, for the goodness that you put out into the world to come back to you. But sometimes I guess it’s instant,” said Martin. “It’s so amazing and it’s so beautiful and it’s such a blessing, and I just don’t know what to think about it all sometimes.
“It’s an emotional thing when you’re a mom or a parent and you can say, ‘this person loved my child.’ It’s pretty remarkable.”
We’re living in unprecedented times when information changes by the minute. WCBU will continue to be here for you, keeping you up-to-date with the live, local and trusted news you need. Help ensure WCBU can continue with its in-depth and comprehensive COVID-19 coverage as the situation evolves by making a contribution.
