12-03-2025
2025 Remarkable Women Nominee: Claire Crone
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Sophia's Kitchen has been feeding thousands of mouths a month, but things haven't always been smooth sailing.
Every Tuesday in March, WMBD is recognizing one of the station's Remarkable Women nominations viewers have sent in. This week, WMBD is diving into Claire Crone.
Crone has had a roller coaster of challenges to overcome in her path to growing Sophia's Kitchen to enormous heights.
'My parents were both in retail, so I would sit at the dining room table and listen to them tell stories about working in retail. So I came to, you know, the understanding of who people really are.'
Crone got her start at an animal rescue, where she learned more about herself, including the nurturing bones she carries in her body.
After about 12 years working for the shelter, she turned to volunteering at the cafeteria of one of her children's schools.
That would eventually tunr into a job for the cafeteria where she learned the importance of efficiency and a healthy environment.
After her time at the school, she got a new job as the secretary for Sacred Heart Church, where she was tasked with taking over the reins for Sophia's Kitchen, growing it to insurmountable heights.
'We feed over (300) to 500 people a day, so making sure that nobody goes home hungry from Sophia's kitchen. So I'm just making sure that there's enough food and everybody is organized. And mostly that we're having fun while we're doing it,' she said.
Sophia's Kitchen feeds about 7,000 people a month and relies heavily on people's generosity for things such as volunteers, sponsorships, and donations.
While there have been close calls time and time again, worrying crone about where the next meal may come from, the job always gets done.
'There have been times that I didn't think we were going to make it. There are times that I thought we were going to have to close, but being able to, with the support of all the others that come and help me and support me, that's that's about the biggest impact is just being able to say that there's going to be a tomorrow for us.'
One instance she refers to was one time the kitchen ran out of buns right when they make Sloppy Joe's and when the meal was about to be served the volunteers realized the error.
But as luck would have it right before the situation turns dire donations seem to come in for them at the perfect moment.
Aside from donations, though, Sophia's Kitchen would be irrelevant if it weren't for those struggling.
'It's hugely important to make that personal connection with our guests. For a lot of them, they don't have any other family. They don't have any other friends. This is a way that we bring humanity back to them and let them know that people in Peoria still care about them,' Crone said.
While Crone says it's painful to see others struggling she is glad she can help make a difference in other people's lives.
Crone also gives advice to those who are to ever question the strength and power they have in themselves.
'It's easy and trite to say, believe in yourself, but you've got this. There's a strength, there's a core in you.'
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