As we come closer to the move to our
new facility, you can feel a new energy pulsing through the halls of our food
bank on 3rd Avenue. This is the energy
of possibility, which partially comes about because ideas that have lied
dormant in the minds and hearts of our staff and volunteers can now be
explored.
Without facility limitations, we now
have permission to move into areas we believe will result in the best outcome
for our clients. You can only imagine
how invigorating this is for the creative people who have come together so they
can lift burdens and create opportunities.
But to truly implement programs that
offer lasting benefit, we must be very clear about the dynamics of economic
crisis, the root causes and what might be a way out of the varying downturns
experienced by so many in our community.
So our Client Services Team has come
together to learn, through surveys and follow up conversations with clients
who've received our help, which of our services have had the greatest positive
impact and where people continue to struggle.
Should Fishline offer a new branch of services? Are clients telling us about plaguing issues
that can be solved through greater community effort? Can education be a key to promoting well
being and breaking negative cycles? These
questions and more are being asked by skilled volunteers trained to draw out
honest responses.
What we learn from these outcomes
will turn into valuable planning tools.
Classes, already taking shape through discussions with community experts,
can be organized and delivered through our new Resource Center, where people
can learn about nutrition, employment techniques, smart budgeting and health
and family care.
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Information resources can be offered
to address the most commonly-experienced crisis contributors, such as
foreclosures, health problems, unemployment and addictions. Sometimes just learning about our own
self-defeating patterns or limiting perceptions can prompt a shift to a more
positive outlook, increasing odds for success.
Onsite consultants will be available to provide guidance in a
confidential, safe environment - perhaps offering just the right advice to move
an individual forward and restoring hope.
At the heart of this effort is a
desire to go beyond our emergency services and provide supportive services,
recognizing that client empowerment is the best way to open up
possibilities. In a world where change
happens so quickly, and there seems to be a constant shuffling of job possibilities
and economic challenges, most of us need friends or mentors to help us navigate
our dizzying times. Through this
support, we will embody the Fishline mission, turning the S.O.S. request for
help into a new S.O.S., Stability,
Opportunity and Success.
It might not surprise you that many
people think the name Fishline came from the old adage about teaching people to
fish instead of giving them the fish, thereby feeding them for a lifetime. Though that isn't the original premise of the
name, we can surely make it so through these efforts...and bring about the
possibilities for long-term prosperity that lie within every crisis.
Thanks to your support and your donations, this bright new horizon is unfolding for Fishline and the community
it serves. We hope that what can come
from it is the fertile environment where promising futures can grow, the best
outcome of all.
Learn more about our new building needs and how you can help by clicking here.
