For 55 years, FISH has maintained its founding ethos, neighbors helping neighbors in need. Its Mission Statement is clear: “FISH lends a helping hand to our neighbors in need by providing critical safety net services.”
All FISH service requests begin either through their website or a phone call to their weekday Dispatch phone line. Dispatch volunteers are an essential point of first contact, handling thousands of phone inquiries annually. FISH now has Spanish-speaking dispatchers available on every shift, helping to ensure that all callers receive prompt assistance.
In 2025, almost 2,000 Sonoma Valley households picked up groceries from the FISH Food Pantry. These households include a total of 4,491 adults and 1,959 children. Each household receives enough food for several days, based on family size. Their delivery program also showed continued growth, with FISH volunteers making 542 deliveries of groceries to homebound residents.
The number of local households receiving emergency assistance with rent has remained steady, while the households receiving help with utility bills continues to grow. In 2025, they were able to distribute more than $300,000 in assistance through these programs. FISH now has an office at 18360 Sonoma Highway (the Sonoma Immigrant Services building), where it provides in-person help four mornings each week with rent or utility assistance applications as well as general questions.
As Sonoma Valley’s population ages, the fastest growing programs include Medical Rides and Medical Equipment Loans. Almost 1,200 round trip medical rides were provided this year, with more than half traveling to out-of-town appointments, and over 300 for local residents receiving dialysis. In 2025, FISH also provided gasoline assistance for those driving to out-of-town doctor visits and other essential needs. A new high of 421 medical equipment loans were provided, and a new Dental Assistance program provided help for critical dental care to 21 seniors in need.
It was another busy year at the FISH Clothing Room, with Valley residents making 3,525 visits to select clothing and households goods, all at no charge. To ensure that those in need can find items in good condition, our volunteers sorted through over 30,000 pounds of donated items, separating out and organizing the usable items for the Clothing Room.
FISH is truly a “community based organization”, funded by the generosity of individuals who believe in caring for their neighbors close to home. In 2025, there were 858 individuals who supported FISH through charitable contributions totaling $424,630, representing 84% of our total revenue of $503,003. While total revenue in 2024 was higher at $611,209, more than $122,000 of that amount came from bequests. In contrast, FISH received no bequests in 2025, meaning that grassroots giving alone surpassed the prior year’s non-bequest support.
Expenses for 2025 totaled $644,837. Thanks to its volunteer workforce, less than 5% of expenses were for administrative costs, with more than 95% going to direct services. Reserve funds were used to fill the gap between revenues and expenses.
These figures do not reflect the tremendous value of in-kind donations received throughout the year, including food, clothing, medical equipment, and other items. Their “pantry partners” include a number of local farms, businesses, and neighborhood groups who help keep shelves well-stocked, along with annual food drives by our local scouts and postal carriers. 2025 was a banner year for food donations, further strengthening FISH’s ability to meet essential needs across Sonoma Valley.
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