Munch Madness was once again a success.  Thanks to all who participated! The event gathered 28,363 pounds of food.
 
Fun FISH Facts:
 
 
 
  • We are between 65-70% volunteer driven.  Grassroots volunteer efforts for food and fund raisers are difficult to track but we typically have 500-700 hours in one month of grassroots offsite volunteer efforts, beyond what we count here internally, which is typically around 1300 volunteer hours per month.  So all together about 1800 to 2000 volunteer hours per month!
  • We are the lead contractor for Kittitas County and provide oversight and ensure food and reimbursement funds are dispersed correctly to subcontractors receiving WSDA Emergency Food Assistance Program (EFAP) and the Federal TEFAP Food Commodities.
  • We donate food to other community programs and pantries.  We partner with other organizations such as Ellensburg School District, COAL in upper County, and Ellensburg Presbyterian Church to make sure that we are reaching all those who need food, especially children.
Significant FISH accomplishments from 2016:
  • Food Pantry – 4,926 households visits in 2016 and distributing 446,542 pounds of food.
  • Hot Meals Program - served 9,164 warm and hearty meals, an increase of almost 2,000 from the year before.
  • Summer Meals for Kids program - served 7,072 lunches this past summer - an increase of 1,335 from the previous year--and partnered with Ellensburg School District to add a fifth location to serve children.
  • Backpack Program - increased from 20 in 2015/16 to now feeding 108 children every weekend during the school year. FISH proudly partners with this program that was founded and is strongly supported by a dedicated group of volunteers and generous funds received from Ellensburg Presbyterian Church.
  • FISH’s Back to School Night, with the help of many churches, community partners, and volunteers, provided dinner, schools supplies, and backpacks for 135 children.