A History of FISH - We’ve Come a Long Way
In 1975, a handful of volunteers from Saint Bede Catholic Church began a program of "neighbors helping neighbors” patterned after one that originated in England a decade earlier and using the early Christian symbol of a fish. The services offered were food, clothing, hot meals, emergency babysitting and, occasionally, overnight lodging.
By the early 1980s, requests for help had escalated, and the original volunteers found that other churches were also trying to meet such needs; a coordinated effort was established. The food pantry remained at Saint Bede and a clothing closet was set up at the Williamsburg Baptist Church. Volunteers and donations came from many different churches, but the program remained one of personal service to the emergency needs of our neighbors.
Transportation for medical appointments and treatments began when the Society of Friends began working with FISH in the early 1980s. An answering service referred calls for food and clothes to a daily volunteer, who made selections and delivered items. Ride requests went to the transportation scheduler, who contacted a list of volunteer drivers.
The Clothes Closet outgrew its church quarters in 1986, and moved to a house on Burns Lane, owned by the First Church of Christ, Scientist; there it remained for the next nine years. In 1987, the food pantry and distribution center moved to a house owned by the Unitarian Universalist Church on Ironbound Road. FISH incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1992, becoming a free-standing agency, still staffed solely by volunteers.
In 1995, FISH moved to the Historic Triangle Community Services Center on Waller Mill Road, which was created by donations from local governments, churches, civic organizations, businesses, and hundreds of individuals. Clients were now able to choose their own clothing and pick up their food. The FISH transportation service was moved into the Peninsula Agency on Aging’s RIDES program in 2015.
The COVID-19 Pandemic was an especially challenging time for FISH. While the Board kept FISH open as long as it could, many factors contributed to the eventual closing in March 2020. Because we were left with food in our Pantry, we decided to donate to St. Olaf’s Food Pantry, Salvation Army, and House of Mercy. Many of these organizations have paid staff and remained open.
FISH reopening in the Fall of 2020 was gradual and focused on the safety of our volunteers and clients. Our volunteers masked, used sanitary wipes, and took forehead temperatures. The guidance was constantly monitored and relaxed as the understanding of how the virus spread evolved.
FISH reopened on a limited schedule with a “no contact” form of food distribution. We also stopped taking donations of food and clothing to limit risk to our volunteers. It quickly became difficult to find volunteers for the Pantry. Another major problem was the supply chain dried up. Grocery stores would no longer fill our orders. FISH purchases from Food Lion were limited to only what they had extra. Boxed.com was used to buy unavailable food with limited success. To limit contact, masked Pantry volunteers filled the bags and brought the shopping cart to the clients in the parking lot. Sanitary wipes were used to wipe down the cart after each delivery.
Clothing volunteer safety did not allow us to accept used clothing donations. Beginning October 2020, clients requesting clothing were helped on Tuesdays and Thursdays by appointment only and only one person at a time. Both the client and clothing volunteer wore masks. Once health guidance indicated that it was safe, clothing and food donations were once again accepted, using the clothing donation door.
In March 2022, during the final stage of the pandemic, FISH moved to its current location at 312 Second Street, Williamsburg. The new location has separate food and clothing buildings to better serve our clients. The increased space has enabled FISH to expand the refrigeration equipment (provided by two grants) and to store more meat and vegetables for our clients. Our Second Street campus is more visible, increasing community awareness of our services.
From a tiny group of volunteers serving one or two clients a week, FISH has grown to over two hundred volunteers caring for the emergency needs of thousands of people a year who live in the greater Williamsburg area. FISH depends entirely upon a caring community for food, clothing, household items, and financial donations. We have no paid staff. Volunteers elect a 12-member Board of Directors, and the Board elects its officers and coordinators. Volunteers come from all walks of life in the community, and we never forget that we are serving neighbors.
Dan Fontaine, March 24, 2024
FISH Williamsburg History, Founding and Early Years - 1975-1986 (PDF)