Over the years, I have become acquainted with some of the organizations that provide a safety net for people in need in Williamsburg and neighboring communities. The learners at Literacy for Life often find themselves in need of the kind of support these organizations provide — particularly if the learners are awaiting work visas or other documentation — and I want to write about one of these organizations today – FISH, Inc.
FISH has been in operation in Williamsburg since 1975, and it just moved to a new and spacious building – actually, two buildings – on Second Street in Williamsburg. It is staffed totally by volunteers. I have friends who had volunteered for FISH for years.
The operation of FISH is very simple – at least on the surface. They accept donations of food, toiletries, clothing, and small housewares, and then give them away to people who need them. Behind this, of course, is a raft of volunteers with spreadsheets.
Before COVID, someone who wanted to access the services of FISH had to get a referral from the local social services agency to qualify. That is no longer required. Here’s a summary of FISH services:
FISH provides food to prepare at least 6 days of meals for each person in a household. FISH has worked with nutrition experts to provide as healthy a diet as possible within the limitations of our storage. Most food products are non-perishable, but FISH also provides sandwich bread, sliced cheese, and eggs. About half of the food that FISH distributes is directly donated by area residents or businesses. The remainder is purchased by FISH locally to ensure that each client's supply is nutritionally balanced. During the growing season, FISH welcomes donations of fresh produce from local gardeners. FISH also provides a limited number of non-food products, such as soap and toilet paper. Clients are able to receive food supplies once a month.
FISH can clothe clients from head to toe. Clothing is offered for persons of all sizes and ages. With the help of FISH volunteers, clients can select clothing that meets their needs. Most clothing items are donated by members of the community; underclothing is generally purchased or donated new. FISH volunteers ensure that all clothing is clean and in good condition and that items are labeled with accurate sizes. Clients can get clothing once every four months – three times a year
FISH offers clients small home furnishings, such as bed linens and towels, pots and pans, dishes, and flatware. Very small appliances, such as coffee-makers and clocks can be provided. All are donated by community residents and are in working order. This is very helpful to people who are attempting to set up a new home after something has happened to make their former home unavailable to them
I was at FISH last week, and I saw one family walk out with a cart full of groceries – including staples like bread, pasta, and fresh eggs along with canned and other shelf-stable items. I started talking casually with a woman whose friends had just gone into the clothing and housewares building with one of the volunteers. I made a casual comment about what a great organization FISH was, and she told me that her friends, who were from another state, had recently lost everything in a house fire. She invited them to come stay with her while they figured out what they were going to do, and she had brought them to FISH to procure clothing, food, and household items to help them start over.
When a new client registers for the services FISH offers, the paperwork is very simple. Some form of ID is required, along with a local address and contact information. No questions are asked about income level. The assumption is that clients are in need. The more cynical among you might think that people who aren’t REALLY in need may take advantage of the generosity of the people who run FISH. While this is always a possibility, I think FISH would rather the occasional scammer get away with free stuff rather than put up barriers that keep people in need from receiving assistance.
I told a friend that I had visited FISH recently, and she told me that since she moved to Williamsburg a few years ago she has always taken clothing and household items to FISH when she gets newer items or otherwise decides she needs to clean out her closets or pantry. She occasionally buys shelf-stable items at the grocery store with the specific intent of donating a bag of food to FISH.
I have other friends who have volunteered for FISH regularly. There is a regular need for volunteers to perform a variety of tasks:
Pantry Client Service Volunteers greet clients, answer questions and accept donations, discuss specific needs with clients, pack groceries, re-stock shelves, and help clients select clothing and housewares. New volunteers commit to serving one day per month (such as the 1st Tuesday, or 3rd Friday of each month) and are responsible for finding a substitute if they cannot work on a scheduled day.
Clothing Workroom Volunteers serve one or more days per week sorting donations, repairing or cleaning items, sizing clothing, helping clients select clothing, and re-stocking the clothes-closet shelves. These positions require a great deal of energy.
Food Delivery & Stocking Volunteers assist with transporting, storing, and shelving the food that is purchased weekly to supplement donated products. These volunteers may help for a couple of hours each week, a few times a month, or "on call" when a particularly large delivery is scheduled. Strong backs are needed.
Third Thursday Volunteers help with the monthly distribution of fresh produce, frozen meats, and other food items delivered by the Peninsula Food Bank. This takes only about three hours per month.
If your schedule doesn't allow for regular volunteer commitments, consider organizing a food or clothing collection in your neighborhood, school, residence hall, business, or organization. FISH and its clients depend on these donations. Another one of my friends is the “point-person” for FISH donations for her church; church members are asked to place their donations to FISH in a specified area in the church and my friend takes the donations to FISH periodically.
Williamsburg is not a great place to live if you don’t have economic stability. Much of the employment is in low-wage service jobs that support tourism, which is the primary local industry. This industry is also seasonal, often leaving people without work for part of the year. The cost of living is high, because tourism – and the college – also attracts affluent people to move to the area. Compounding the problem is the fact that public transportation here is abysmal – it doesn’t connect the places where people can afford to live to the places where the jobs are. The homeless population in and around Williamsburg isn’t very visible, but there are an estimated 500 adults without homes. Some of the homeless population is invisible because they are living doubled-up with relatives, and others are housed temporarily in local low-budget motels. The most recent figure I’ve been able to find says that there are about 400 homeless students in the local schools.
Organizations like FISH make it possible for poor people, who are often invisible to the rest of us as we go about our daily lives, to be cared for. You may not have FISH in your community, but you undoubtedly have similar organizations that help people in need.
Right. And where buses do stop, there is nowhere to sit or shelter from the weather on the (what looks like a 4'x6') concrete slab. I've written to my county commissioner about building sidewalks on Ironbound Road, because I see so many pedestrians walking in the road or on the grass, depending upon the weather. The response I received was that the commissioner supported sidewalks whenever the issue arose. Well, gee. How about a little pro-active action on the commissioners' budget and agendas?