A New Fiscal Year

At the beginning of July, FISH began its new fiscal year, and that brought some changes to the organization. We added three new board members—David Eby, Mahrya MacIntire, Jhanel Marchand—and Elliot Wicks assumed the position of president, following Bob Reed’s five years in that office. Bob set an example, with his breadth of knowledge and eye for detail that will be hard to match. We are all grateful for his important contributions to the organization during the nine years that he has served on the board. Bob will continue as a board member.

 

We look forward to important accomplishments in this new fiscal year, but it is important to recognize the great successes that we have experienced in the last couple of years. Because FISH was selected by Fairfax County to be a conduit for federal money that was allocated to help people deal with the economic disruptions of the pandemic, the scope of our activities expanded greatly. In addition to providing our usual Friendly Instant Sympathetic Help to our traditional clients, we were responsible in this past fiscal year for distributing almost $5 million in County-approved funding that was ultimately financed by the various iterations of the federal CARES and Economic Recovery Acts. The fact that we did this responsibly and efficiently is a testament to the skill and adaptability of our staff. Because the federal money has now been largely distributed, we anticipate returning to our more customary forms of assistance for people in the Herndon and Reston area in the current fiscal year.

 

Our Bargain Loft thrift store, under new management, is thriving and is newly organized to be both more attractive and more efficient. We invite you all to come for a visit even if you are not in the market at the moment for the wonderful variety of items that we offer.

 

We look forward to a successful year, and as always, we are greatly appreciative of the gifts and donations from individuals, corporations, religious groups, foundations, and others that make our work possible.

 

Elliot Wicks,
President, Board of Directors

 

Mary Saunders,
Executive Director

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