A fond adieu to seasonal FISH volunteers
It’s that time of year again – the time when traffic diminishes, lines are shorter at restaurants and stores and social activities are considerably curtailed. In other words, our “snowbirds” are flying north for the summer. This is always a mixed blessing for those of us who live on the island year-round, and FISH is no exception. Among our devoted and dedicated volunteers are 20 who are seasonal residents, two of whom are members of the board. We wish them a pleasant summer and look forward to their return in the fall or winter.
As with all charitable organizations, FISH has experienced an increase in requests for financial assistance. This will likely continue until (unless?) the economy turns around. We had a total of 314 telephone calls during the first three months of this year to include requests for medical mobility equipment, transportation, respite care and other services as well as the need for assistance in paying rent, utilities, prescriptions, etc.
The Easter Basket Brigade served 50 families with a total of 67 children, who received baskets of goodies supplied by the Matlacha Hookers and the Red Hat Chickadees. All participants also received gift cards from Winn-Dixie in varying denominations according to family size. The next brigade project will be our annual Back to School Clothes for Kids drive which will take place in mid-July.
FISH has an ample supply of canes, crutches, walkers and bedside commodes, but we would welcome donations of wheelchairs, bath stools and four-pronged canes. Just call 283-4442 if you have such items and we’ll arrange for pickup. Also, if you have any FISH equipment on loan that you no longer need, give us a call so that it can be returned to our storage unit.
Thanks, Pine Island and Matlacha, for your continuing support.
Donations are gratefully accepted at any time and may be mailed to Pine Island FISH, P.O. Box 357, Matlacha, FL 33993.