Carson City nonprofit that helps poor hosts major fundraiser at Nugget Thursday; tickets available

Having fed and provided shelter for the poor and indigent for more than 30 years, the Carson City nonprofit agency FISH is asking Carson City residents, public officials and private citizens to a special dinner on Thursday, March 14.

The Have A Heart Banquet, a major fundraiser for the organization — also known as Friends in Service Helping — will be at the Carson Nugget beginning at 5:30 p.m. with cocktails and a silent auction. Dinner begins at 6:15 p.m. The cost is $100 per ticket, $1,000 per table of eight with open seats to 10. The table admission provides for eight raffle tickets, bottles of wine (2) at the table and a promotion in the Have a Heart Banquet program. To order tickets call FISH at (775) 882-3474, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Ninety-five percent of FISH’s funding comes from local donations and the Have A Heart Banquet is an important part of the organization's fundraising effort, said Jim Peckham, executive director of FISH.

This year’s theme is “Opening Your Heart Is The Key To Opening Doors” and the honorees are State Senator Debbie Smith and former Carson City Supervisor Shelly Aldean.

FISH not only provides food to people in need (both through the dining room and the food bank), it also provides shelter and healthcare. Goals are important to the FISH organization as it continually strives to provide independence for those caught in financial pressures where they find themselves without food and shelter, said Peckham.

FISH helps open doors to independence while encouraging its clients take responsibility for those things in their lives that they can control, Peckham explains.

In the last 12 months that ended Jan. 31 FISH helped 18,337 people, which included 210,544 meals and 31,108 dining room meals for people needing sustenance, Peckham said in a Nevada Appeal article. About 45 percent of the FISH clients in that period have been children, Peckham told the Appeal.

The following is extracted from a FISH news release sent earlier this year.

FISH helps open doors to independence while encouraging its clients take responsibility for those things in their lives that they can control. Independence comes in different forms for different people. For some people, having appropriate clothes to wear to job interviews may be the key to their independence. Others need guidance with regard to completing job applications or writing resumes.

Those who are homeless may need a place to shower and shave before going to work. Others need healthcare to address chronic conditions that rob them of their independence. Some need temporary shelter or affordable housing, while others need to know how to find and access the resources available to help them stay in their homes. FISH unlocks these and other doors that lead to independence for our clients, but we can’t do it without your help.

Senator Smith and Supervisor Aldean have each, in her own way, helped FISH unlock doors.

Senator Debbie Smith is a staunch advocate for education. In addition to her legislative service, she has served as the President of the Nevada PTA, the Chairman of the State Council to Establish Academic Standards, and as a Board Member for the Nevada Afterschool Alliance. She has also served as an Autism Advocate, a Board Member for the Girl Scouts of the Sierra Nevada, and as an Advisory Board Member for the Northern Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation. As a legislator, she has championed the cause of those in need and, perhaps most important for our operation, she has sought to remove obstacles that make it more difficult for charitable organizations like FISH to help others. Her bill in the 2011 Session of the Nevada Legislature made it easier for organizations providing affordable housing to obtain insurance, providing a practical way for non-profit organizations to help themselves.

Shelly Aldean, in addition to her service on the Carson City Board of Supervisors for 10 years, has served as the president of the Capital City Circles Initiative since August of 2008. The Circles Initiative is a self-help organization dedicated to helping families elevate themselves out of poverty by providing them with the tools they need to become economically self-sufficient. Graduates of the Initiative’s Getting Ahead program are matched with trained community volunteer “Allies” who provide Circle Leaders with the support and encouragement they need to achieve their goals by contributing their knowledge and expertise and joining them, every step of the way, on their journey out of poverty. Since both Circles and FISH believe in empowering people to help themselves, there is a natural synergism between the two organizations that has lead to mutual respect and close cooperation.

Please come out and support FISH at the 2013 Have A Heart Banquet. If you are not able to attend, please consider sending a contribution. Opening Your Heart truly is the Key to Opening Doors.

If you have questions, silent auction items, or need to buy a table/tickets for this event, please contact FISH at 775-882-3474 Monday-Friday 9am-5pm. Go to the FISH Facebook page here and give it a "like."

Here are some rolling stats submitted by FISH from February 2012 to January 2013:

18,337 People helped
45% of the clients have been children
1,313 New families
1,401 Senior citizens
1,238 Disabled
210, 554 Total Meals
31,108 Dining room meals
2,119 Holiday meals
15,093 Nights of lodging in shelters
41 Average number of shelter residents per night
1,120 Thrift Store vouchers for clothing, housewares and furniture
1,048 Ross Medical Clinic patients
313 families received help paying their utilities
10,379 Showers provided
4,108 Laundry services provided