Herndon-Reston FISH
Friendly Instant Sympathetic Help
The Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2022–2023 is now available here.
The FISH Mission
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To help Herndon and Reston residents cope with short-term financial crises by providing Friendly Instant Sympathetic Help.
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We help stabilize lives by preventing an eviction, keeping utilities from being turned off, and helping to finance immediate medical needs.
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Elliot Wicks
President, Board of Directors
Mary Saunders
Executive Director
HRFISH Has Moved Its Offices
FISH previously leased space from Cornerstones in Herndon, but we were recently informed that Cornerstones was not renewing its lease and is moving to a new space. The space could not accommodate FISH. After reviewing several possibilities for our offices, we were able to identify a new space that we are confident will serve our needs well. The building and our offices within it are both very pleasant. Fortunately, the rental cost was less than we have been paying. We are signing a three-year lease.
Our new office address is 1801 Robert Fulton Drive, Suite 120-E. The building is located off of Sunrise Valley Drive near the Sunrise Valley Elementary School.
The photo below shows the new building.
Celebrating The Closet's 50 Years
On the evening of October 23, Mary Saunders, Herndon-Reston FISH Executive Director, and Bob Averne and Elliot Wicks, representing the HRFISH Board, had the pleasure of attending the 50th Anniversary Celebration of The Closet of the Greater Herndon Area. Now a thriving thrift store, The Closet was started by individuals representing several area churches as a mechanism to provide quality clothing at a minimal price for people in need in the community. What began as an all-volunteer operation in the basement of Trinity Presbyterian Church in 1974 is now The Closet Thrift Shop with a paid staff of 18 full- and part-time employees and annual sales exceeding $1 million.
In addition to selling affordable clothing and household goods donated by members of the community, The Closet uses its profits to support a variety of activities. It funds a "Voucher Program" that has provided more than $1.3 million in free clothing and other essentials to individuals and families referred by government and nonprofit social agencies. The Closet has also returned more than $3.1 million to the community in the form of cash grants to local nonprofits, including substantial amounts to HRFISH. The Closet is also very proud of its program to provide scholarships to high school seniors from six schools in the Reston-Herndon-Sterling area that now total more than $800,000.
We at HRFISH congratulate The Closet for its 50 years of service to the community, and in particular we want to thank The Closet for its continuing support of the HRFISH mission. The work of both organizations shows that there is a continuing need in our communities to serve people who face financial constraints and whose lives can be made better by the kind of helping services provided by our two institutions.
Elliot K. Wicks
President
Scenes from FISH June Gala
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Food Insecurity
According to the Fairfax County Food Council, nearly 75,000 county residents are food insecure, with nearly 60,000 children qualifying for free and reduced-price meals in Fairfax County Public Schools. Many of these residents and children live in the Herndon-Reston community. The 60,000 figure might not include all who qualify, because their parents or guardians may not have applied for the assistance. This is due primarily to lack of awareness of the program and application process, a lack of trust in the system, a concern for privacy, or a language barrier.
Food insecurity can have long-lasting effects on children, affecting their memory, social and learning skills, and energy levels. Another factor is the stress students feel, knowing their families can’t afford the food needed to feed them.
Food insecurity is not just being hungry; it is an economic condition that is exacerbated by recent high inflation and job losses and employment reductions due to Covid. Someone who is food insecure doesn’t have the means to access enough nutritious food on a regular basis.
For the past year, with funding from a Fairfax County Food Assistance Program grant and the help of social workers/parent liaisons from the local Reston and Herndon elementary schools and from other human service organizations, FISH has been providing food insecure families with $100 to $150 in Safeway or Giant grocery gift cards. Additionally, through our primary Emergency Assistance program, we respond to requests for rent, utilities, medical prescriptions and other critical needs bills, so that families in need don’t have to choose between food or medicines or housing. If you would like to help support our neighbors in crises, please consider donating to FISH to help us continue our vital programming. Thank you in advance for your support!