Even amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Greater Peoria area turned out to donate to the Heart of Illinois United Way's annual campaign. "We raised over $9.1 million," said Heart of Illinois United Way President Jennifer Zammuto. "And with COVID and everything that happened over the past year, it's a testament to the generosity and thoughtfulness of this community." The not-for-profit coalition has expanded its relief efforts during the pandemic, with the 211 Information and Referral Service seeing a 200 percent spike in usage since March of last year, when the first COVID-19 case was reported regionally. That includes a 60 percent increase in food requests, and 30 percent increase in housing assistance referral requests.