PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Thousands of dollars and pounds of food were donated to the Neighborhood House on Monday, Dec. 6 from the Hindu community in Peoria.
As part of the Indian holiday, Diwali, the Hindu community believes in the philosophy of Sewa, or selfless service, giving the Pattekar family the idea to create the Sewa Diwali Drive.
“Neighborhood House has been a beacon of hope to the underserved area of Peoria. It is also the site of many of our educational activities conducted by the Hindu community, as well as our other volunteer service activities,” said Dr. Mandar Pattekar, community activist and coordinator of the Sewa Diwali Drive.
The Sewa Diwali Drive raised $3,820 and donated hundreds of pounds worth of food to the Neighborhood House to give to those in need.
CEO of Neighborhood House Julie Bonar said, “To be able to have this donation is just incredible to know that we’re going to be able to provide for the community and people will be able to feed their families.”
The drive is also giving donations to the Center for Prevention of Abuse on Friday, Dec. 10.