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Our Clients

FISH currently has a total of 991 individual clients served for whom we provide a wide range of services from transportation for medical appointment, hot meal deliver, daily reassurance phone calls, emergency financial assistance and Food Pantry.  13% of these clients are under 18 years of age and 71% of our clients are 55 years of age and above.  The majority of our clients are female (61%) while males make up 39% of our client base.

Take a look at some of our client’s stories who need your help and donations as well as some of our clients who have truly benefitted from the FISH Services.

    Suzanne

    Suzanne has been living and working in the service industry on Sanibel Island for 10 years now. She is a 40 year old single mother with a small child.
    In May, Suzanne was diagnosed with breast cancer and she underwent extensive surgery. FISH helped Suzanne complete an application to receive medical coverage for her cancer treatment through the Medicaid program and was also able to refer her to supportive resources in the community.
    Unable to work for 7 weeks following her diagnosis and surgery, Suzanne was unable to pay her rent for two months. FISH stepped in and helped to pay a portion of her rent using funds from the organization.
    If you are interested in donating or volunteering for FISH please click the Donate button or click on the Contact button on this website or call us on (239) 472 4775.

    Linda

    Linda
    Linda is a single mother of an 11 year old girl. She was recently divorced and her former husband has not followed up on his child support payments. Linda also lost her private cleaning job when the family she worked for returned to a Northern state to reside permanently.
    During the two months that Linda searched for a new cleaning job, she became delinquent in her rent and utilities. FISH was able to help her pay for a portion of these expenses. FISH helped Linda to find employment and referred her to other agencies to address her various needs.
    The FISH food pantry came in handy for Linda since she was unable to purchase groceries.
    If you are interested in donating or volunteering for FISH please click the Donate button or click on the Contact button on this website or call us on (239) 472 4775.

    Jennifer

    Jennifer
    Jennifer has been a resident of Sanibel for her entire life. She lives on the island now with her four year old son and has worked full time in the service industry.
    In April, Jennifer and her son both became ill with an extreme case of the flu. Due to her illness, she was unable to work for several days and inevitably lost income. Because of this loss of income she did not have the funds to pay her rent or her utilities.
    The funds provided by FISH assisted Jennifer in paying a portion of her rent and her entire electric bill.
    If you are interested in donating or volunteering for FISH please click the Donate button or click on the Contact button on this website or call us on (239) 472 4775.

    Bill

    Bill
    As a part of our focus on F.I.S.H. (Friends in Service Here) of Sanibel, Inc. we feature a client who has benefited from the FISH services on Sanibel.
    Bill is a young man who is living and working on the island. His mother suffers from a terminal illness, his father works 2 jobs and Bill has developed serious health problems as well. His parents could not help him out financially and Bill was eventually laid off.
    FISH was able to provide assistance with rent and medical bills as well as help Bill through the food pantry.

    The WIC computer facilities also proved to be very useful for Bill. One of the volunteers was able to help him apply for unemployment compensation. While using the facilities at the Walk in Center Bill was also able to develop and submit his resume several places. As a result, this young man now has full time employment with the government and was able to move on.

    If you are interested in donating or volunteering for FISH please click the Donate button or click on the Contact button on this website or call us on (239) 472 4775.

    Sarah

    Sarah is a 44 year old single mother who has resided and been employed on Sanibel for the past 8 years. Sarah has one 12 year old son and a 9 year old daughter. Sarah was employed in the service industry until her hours were decreased last April due to season ending and her employer struggling financially.
    Sarah and her children experienced a great deal of hardship last spring due to the impact of Sarah having less income and the same monthly bills to pay. Sarah came to FISH requesting financial assistance to pay her electric bill in June after the electric in her family’s apartment had been turned off due to Sarah’s inability to pay the family’s bill. Sarah had no one else to turn to for help! Her family and friends could not afford to assist Sarah with her electric bill in addition to the cost of groceries for Sarah and her children.
    FISH assisted Sarah to pay the family’s overdue bill so that electric could be restored in the family’s apartment. FISH also provided food for Sarah and her children from the FISH food pantry and employment search assistance to help Sarah to locate an additional part-time job to help the family to pay their bills during the remainder of this summer and fall. Due to the help she received previously from FISH, Sarah is now able to pay all of her bills independently once again. She has stated to the volunteers at FISH that she feels as if her “life is back on track!” We at FISH are pleased for Sarah and her family that their living situation has improved and that FISH has been responsible for assisting Sarah and her children to move forward during a very tough time in their lives.

    If you are interested in donating or volunteering for FISH please click the Donate button or click on the Contact button on this website or call us on (239) 472 4775.

    James

    James who a hard working young man in his early thirties who has been living and working on Sanibel for the past 12 years. He has worked for many years in the restaurant industry and was promoted two years ago to a head waiter position by his employer. Everything was going well for James until he experienced a hip fracture in March following a fall in his apartment. Although James had medical insurance he did not have any disability coverage. Due to his injury and subsequent surgery, James was unable to work for almost three months. This severely impacted James’ ability to pay his rent, utilities, and many other bills due to his having no income during that time. James came to FISH in May requesting one time financial assistance to help him to pay his rent to prevent possible eviction from his apartment by his landlord.

    FISH assisted James with his rent at that time and with two overdue utility bills as well. FISH also assisted James with food from the food pantry due to his struggle to purchase food at that time. With assistance, James has been able to travel the road to recovery and has been able to return to his job on a full-time basis. James has not required any further assistance recently from FISH, but, has expressed his verbal appreciation many times for the assistance he received from FISH during his time of crisis. FISH is helping our friends and neighbors to move forward and to better the lives of individuals and families here on the islands.

    If you are interested in donating or volunteering for FISH please click the Donate button or click on the Contact button on this website or call us on (239) 472 4775.