GRATITUDE REPORT The FISH NET Winter 2020-21 Offering Hope and Gratitude in the Hard Times of a Pandemic Hard times. The year was 1854 when Stephen Foster wrote the haunting parlor song “Oh Hard Times, Come Again No More.” His hometown of Pittsburgh was overtaken by an epidemic and deaths, hunger and high unemployment. His simple tune and lyrics expressed the hardships of the day, then and now: “Let us pause in life's pleasures and count its many tears While we all sup sorrow with the poor There's a song that will linger forever in our ears Oh, hard times, come again no more 'Tis the song, the sigh of the weary Hard times, hard times, come again no more Many a day you have lingered around my cabin door Oh, hard times, come again no more.” We all know that hard times are here. We witness them at FISH every day. The lines continue of families in need of food. Cars at Saturday food distributions. Household members of all ages walking up during the Supporters of FISH, we give thanks for YOU. Donors day. Hungry individuals without homes lined up at our of food, funds, volunteer hours, items of warmth, YOU door where they receive food, warm socks and hats, have made this possible. With your help, we are in these coats and sleeping bags as needed and available. Hard hard times for the long haul. Thank you for supporting times indeed. our work and our community members. Feeling Gratitude in Spite of Hard Times Now a new, hopeful verse has been added to Stephen But we celebrate with gratitude the support we have Foster’s song: received from community members and businesses, foundations, churches and much more. At FISH we live While faith may be tested, our sorrows will not last and breathe extreme gratitude every day. The Covid-19 These are hard times and troubles we endure. pandemic has magnified both need AND thankfulness throughout this past, challenging year. And it’s good to be reminded That this too shall also pass We feel a world of appreciation. We have felt extreme Oh hard times come again no more gratitude from our households being served and from the Oh better times will come again once more. community for our work. FISH OF VANCOUVER Welcome, New FISH Board Members Two Volunteers, Many Lives Changed We Are So Very Grateful – Notes from Our Staff BOARD OF DIRECTORS James Fitzgerald, Executive Director - As the year closes out, I am thankful for so many Katlin Smith, President Retired Principal, UrbanWords Group things. This has been an intense year, but I have seen our community come together to Beth Lee, MD, Secretary help those in need. We are stronger in many Retired Family Physician ways than we were. We have been able to Alice Davies, Treasurer keep up with demand because of community Retired and Community Volunteer support. Many of our regular volunteers are Bennett Brandenburg not able to come, but others from the community have stepped up Attorney at Law and are filling in gaps. Some major food drives have been canceled, but businesses are doing smaller food collections and bringing them Bob Durgan Edward (Eddie) Odoms (left) is a relationship by to help us continue to distribute a well-balanced food box. I look Retired Vice President, Development Services, Andersen Construction builder, community philanthropist, Desert Storm forward to brighter times and some sense of normalcy, but I am Veteran and mentor to children in the communities thankful I live in Clark County and that I work at such a place as John H. Greves, MD of Vancouver & Portland. Eddie also serves on the Sergii Golovnova, pictured with son Richard, 3, is a FISH of Vancouver because I get to see miracles every day. The Vancouver Clinic Board of Directors of Friends of the Children. Born true ambassador for FISH and our Russian/Ukrainian Rev. John Hubbard clients. “My goal is to help them be served better. - As the in NE Portland to a single mother, Eddie credits the Dori Miller, Volunteer Coordinator Retired Presbyterian Minister Better conversation makes service better,” she says. holidays approach in these unprecedented communities of Portland and Vancouver for helping times, I find myself reflecting on how George Laing his mom raise him and his sister. FISH played a huge “When I say: ‘Доброе утро!’ (good morning), our fortunate I am to be in a position to see Retired Human Resources Manager, role starting in 1970 by helping to feed his family. Clark Public Utilities clients are so happy to hear Russian, they become firsthand, the boundless generosity of the more relaxed. When a new family arrives to the US, I human spirit. The sheer number of people Susan Lanford Now his growing company Odoms Home Mold try to give them comprehensive info about local food who have stepped up to volunteer throughout Director, Mission Services, Remediation has become the go-to mold solution for services,” she says. “I answer their questions, help the pandemic has been awe-inspiring. From PeaceHealth Columbia Network hundreds of Realtors in the Vancouver and Portland them to make better decisions about food, translate church organizations, missionaries, nursing area. He credits the success of his small business once Thomas Lingo flyers for them, spread the word about any updates students and high school students, to Rotary Clubs and civic Retired Account Manager, Alcoa again to the community that has always taken care of and so on. The best rewards for me are smiling faces organizations; people from all walks of life and all over the country him. Welcome to the FISH Board, Eddie! Joe Molina and happy eyes. I’m so grateful to be a part of the came together with the same philanthropic goal. People were willing Retired Fire Chief, City of Vancouver FISH team.” And we are very thankful for Sergii. to do whatever was needed to help the struggling families in our Bennett Brandenburg (right) grew up in Ridgefield community. Our volunteer teams are what make FISH uniquely Betty Sue Morris and graduated from George Fox University with a Retired County Commissioner and Joe Jackson has evolved FISH and I look forward to the day when our entire team can come degree in psychology and a minor in Spanish. After Community Volunteer into the backbone of our together when times are more certain again. law school, Bennett joined his father’s law practice, Eddie Odoms Brandenburg Law Firm in downtown Vancouver, to warehouse team. What a Anina Estrem, Operations Manager - I believe President, Odoms Home Mold Remediation emphasize criminal defense and personal transformation for Joe, who came to FISH after that everyone deserves to eat good, healthy food, Larry Smith injury. Bennett also serves as the criminal defense and over the last months I have had the privilege Community Advocate and Past Vancouver attorney for participants in Clark County Superior suffering two strokes of helping FISH fulfill that goal. Even as the Council Member Court’s Residential Drug Offender Sentencing resulting in aphasia, Covid-19 pandemic has interrupted supply impacting his language George Kaufer, Emeritus Alternative (DOSA) program, which offers treatment chains, rewritten our distribution model and to criminal drug offenders over traditional skills. A year of physical Past President, FISH of Vancouver therapy helped him upended the volunteer schedule, FISH has Retired CPA and IRS Official incarceration. continued to serve our clients the food they need. regain physical abilities I know that our efforts are a drop in the bucket; STAFF Additionally, Bennett serves on the Board for Clark and a limited amount of food pantries alleviate immediate hunger needs while only public policy County Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section. speech. From there his changes make lasting impacts in fighting poverty and ending hunger. James Fitzgerald, Executive Director Bennett married his high school sweetheart, Crystal, journey led him to FISH. Repetitive tasks helped him recover brain function. He then assisted the hauler But the opportunity to make life easier for our clients while also Anina Estrem, Operations Manager and they live in downtown Vancouver. Bennett and ensuring they are treated with dignity is what gives me energy for this Crystal belong to Van City Church where they pursue team and learned all the warehouse procedures for work. As we move into the dark of winter, I know that the challenges Dori Miller, Volunteer Coordinator missional outreach and community service managing incoming food hauls and donations. “I like for our clients will only increase. Despite this, I am heartened by volunteering because I can do it all,” he says. “I’m Plus our dedicated team of volunteers opportunities. Welcome to the FISH Board, Bennett! FISH’s client-focused commitment to ending hunger and the getting better. Now people who meet me for the first who donate thousands of hours each time don’t know I had a stroke.” What a terrific team knowledge that this pantry has the capacity and the heart to make a real year. impact on our community. member! Thank you, Joe! Thank You, Donors for Making Our Community a Better Place! Carolyn & Larry Mastin Joe Chen Robert Heyman Anita Harris Carolyn Rose John Shirley Roger Gillis Ann Donnelly $25,000-$49,999 Andrew & Cheree Nygard Talents Construction, LLC Lloyd & Damiann Kegney Choose Fun Inc Jonah Zwemer Ron Matela Arlas K. & John S. Nemnich CE John Family AnswerForce Terrin & Barbara Pearson Mary & Walter Oswalt Clare Weber Joseph Chambers Ronald & Sandra Klump Ava Cozzetto Community Foundation for Brett & Patti Bryant The Vancouver Clinic Mary E Helmes Clark & Mary Siebert Joshua