Growth and Gratitude

Dear Friends of FISH,

Here it is November again, when our thoughts turn to Thanksgiving and we often think about gratitude. Many people keep a a gratitude list. Just in case your list needs some filling in, I’d like to offer a number of things that we at FISH are incredibly grateful for this year. As you read this newsletter, you will discover that FISH has expanded in numerous areas to improve its services to our neighbors. I hope you enjoy reading our gratitude list and are inspired to expand your gratitude list as well.

Bienvenidos. At the top of our gratitude list is our new ability to greet our Spanish-speaking callers in their native language. When our neighbors call FISH they can now choose to hear the FISH greeting in Spanish with further directions regarding leaving a message and, as always, a Spanish-speaking dispatch volunteer calls them back. Beyond this, we are also thankful that that we have been receiving more calls from our Spanish-speaking neighbors.

Spanish speaking volunteer Claudia Mendoza answered FISH calls while visiting family in Columbia.

Partnering for Critical Dental Care. FISH is also grateful for its partnership with the Sonoma Valley Community Health Center, with whom we have teamed up to provide financial assistance to seniors who are in need of dental care. This new partnership has been beneficial to a number of our older neighbors who desperately need dental work. We have also learned that working together with our partners we can accomplish so much more for those in need.

Always Improving. Also high on our gratitude list is a project undertaken by six of our volunteers, mostly from the food room, to make FISH food assistance more accessible and more closely aligned with the needs of our callers. They have visited FISH of Santa Rosa (similar name, separate organization!), zoomed with our friends at Redwood Empire Food Bank, and at present they are conducting a survey of all of the people who call us in the month of November for food assistance. Although our goal is to identify areas to improve, the feedback from the surveys often warms hearts and sometimes brings tears. The people who access FISH services are consistently grateful that we are in the community and available to help.

Case Management for Seniors. There are times when our clients need services that FISH does not provide. FISH is grateful to the Petaluma People Services Center and for their willingness to establish a new partnership with us. FISH now has the ability to refer seniors for case management services to the Petaluma People Services Center. To date, the referral process has been smooth and the seniors we have referred have obtained access to additional resources. Another aspect of this partnership is that case management services are available for others who are not seniors as well.

Helping to Prevent Homelessness.  Expanded resources for Sonoma Valley are also on our gratitude list. One of these is a new program called Keeping People Housed from HomeFirst, which serves Sonoma County from offices based in Petaluma.  This program focuses on case management to help prevent homelessness, which is an important complement to the FISH rent and utility financial assistance programs.  Beginning mid December, a case manager will be available in Sonoma Valley for 24 hours each week to provide expanded assistance to people who may be facing eviction.

Powered by People. On our gratitude list is also the work of our volunteer coordination team. Victoria Bonnington, Suzanne Larson and Maria Campbell recruit, orient and train new FISH volunteers. Due to their incredible skills and welcoming energy, our roster of volunteers has grown significantly. It is these new volunteers who allow FISH to continue all of our services and expand the ways we can help people. The power of volunteers is definitely on my gratitude every year!

And... You! Our list would never be complete if we didn’t mention the support from the broader community. Your support comes to us in a huge variety of ways. Individuals, businesses, organizations, and faith groups are all critical to the ongoing success of FISH. Our list of supporters would truly fill pages for our gratitude list. We at FISH are proud of our volunteer work and also know that our work is only possible through the immense support and trust from you, our Sonoma Valley community. A few recent highlights follow below.

Scouting For Food. As the winter months approach, we are grateful for our local Scouts, who are among our youngest and most steadfast supporters. Through their "Scouting for Food" drive on November 9, Sonoma Valley's Scouts collected more than 2,500 pounds of non-perishable foods. The Scouts do the first sorting at Fiesta Plaza shopping center, then FISH volunteers bring the boxes of canned and packaged goods to FISH Central for further packing and stacking.  Dee Weaver is our liaison to the Scouts and organizes the collecting, while Lauren Scott and her energetic volunteers do the second sort for expiration dates, and stack the donations to fill our pantry shelves in time for those critical winter months, when seasonal work declines and the need for food assistance peaks. 

Fresh Food Friends.  Thanks to Friedman’s Home Improvement for their donation of frozen turkeys, and to Redwood Empire Food Bank for its donation of four dozen large chickens.  In August, an entire beef purchased at the Sonoma County Fair was donated by the Gordon N. Ball Inc., Hal E. Stober.  Just a few days ago 200 pounds of ground beef was donated by Ron Goss and delivered to us by Paul Gusto of Highway 12 Vineyard and Winery.  We also want to recognize Paul’s Produce, Terraplane Farm, Haystack Farm, Whole Foods and all the individuals who have donated an abundance of produce items to FISH.

Sonoma Arts Live. Thanks to Jaime Love, Artistic Director at Sonoma Arts Live, FISH will be hosting a table in the lobby during intermission of Little Women at the 2:00 pm Sunday December 15 matinee, in Andrews Hall at the Sonoma Community Center.  We encourage you to support the local arts, enjoy this heartwarming show, and learn more about FISH and how our 160+ volunteers support our neighbors in need. 

Each year, FISH provides hundreds of Holiday Baskets for Sonoma Valley families, helping to make the season a bit brighter. Baskets are filled with 25 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables, an assortment of local cheese, and a gift card, so each family can purchase meat, poultry, or fish to round out their holiday celebration. To raise the funds for this endeavor, members of service clubs, social organizations, and faith-based groups, along with other "friends of FISH" from across our community, will again be ringing bells at our local markets the coming weeks. Bell ringing is our one fund-raising "event" of the year and we are thankful for the dozens of bell-ringers and to all who contribute. Donations can also be made through our website.

And on a final note of gratitude ... doesn't everyone love a good makeover? A huge thanks to FISH volunteer Eric Muller who painted our shed dedicated to storing supplies for our Holiday Food Basket program. Since it hadn’t been painted in over 30 years, Eric needed to pour on the primer. It turned out beautifully and we are now gearing up for Holiday Food Basket season. 

Wishing you the warmth that comes from friendship, family, and community,

Sandy