Volume 1 Issue 1

December 5, 2015

FISH TALES
FISH Hospitality Pantry | Quarterly Newsletter

A Gift to be
Remembered
This holiday season Fish
Pantries are offering a
Christmas card that will be sent
to your friends and family with
a donation in their name to
feed hungry families. Provide
Fish with the names and
addresses of the recipients
and we will do the rest!
The continued success of our
hospitality program depends
largely on the generous
contributions from people like
you!

FISHing Expedition
Twenty-Seven years ago FISH Hospitality Pantries started with a
dream: to feed the multitudes. Jim Wrights vision was brought to
life in the basement of an East Knoxville church with a hundred
bags of food.
Originally the pantry operated as a delivery system where
churches would dedicate one day per month to bring food to
peoples homes. The East Knoxville FISH Pantry (1986) was the
first pantry to accept guests at the door. In 1991, the Western
Avenue and South Knoxville pantries opened their doors.
Wright referred to the first pantry as The Last Resort FISH
Pantry, but it soon became the first resort because of the
hospitality of the volunteers. There was a sense of respect
instilled in the volunteers and there would be no qualifying or
invasive questioning of the guests. The idea was that the way
people were treated when they came for food was as nourishing
as the food they received. Now, 27 years later FISH Hospitality
Pantries serves over 10,000 families each month.

fishpantry.org

Volume 1 Issue 1

December 5, 2015

Child Hunger gets a BOOST

What do you get at

the pantry?

The first time she stepped foot into FISH Lissy knew that she was
going to be a part of the organization for many years to come. Lissy
joined the FISH team in 2008, a year after the organization moved
from church basements to their new warehouse, located at 122 West
Scott Ave. The German native said, I knew what it was like to be
hungry, I lived in hunger for three years as a child. I watched my
family die from hunger and to be able to help other people out of
hunger is all I could have asked for.

If you are a volunteer, you will

receive the gift of watching the
eyes of a child light up as he or
she gets an individual bag of
nutritious snacks, complete with
a sticker on the bag!

The FISH volunteer began the BOOST program with her husband
Jim in 2010. I looked at the people in that line and except by the
grace of God I could be standing in that line too. Said Jim about his
first visit to FISH. BOOST provides a nutritious meal to the children
that visit the pantry.

You will see the eyes of a young

mother fill with tears as she
realizes she will be able to feed
her family that day.

Each BOOST bag contains a grain such as pasta or cereal, cheese,

yogurt, granola bars, raisins, a fruit, milk, and a fruit juice. The food
supplied has no added dyes, sugars, or flavors. Lissy and Jim buy the
contents of each bag at either Kroger or Earth Fare in Knoxville. Each
shopping trip costs around $350 including
discounts from each location.
Each week 40 to 50 BOOST bags are
given to children who visit the pantry on
Tuesdays and Thursdays. When school is
not in session FISH gives out up to 2150
BOOST bags each month, showing that
the number of children without a
substantial meal in the summer is a
growing epidemic.

You will see the amazement on

the faces of new guests when
they realize there is nothing
they have to prove, no story, no
ID, nothing. Just go through the
line and pick out groceries.
You will hear one guest tell
another that this is the nicest
place to be Nancy Butler

I cant stand to think of a child being

hungry, said Lissy. Here is a place I can
feed the hungry child, and so can you.

Lissy poses with a BOOST

bag at FISHs warehouse

The Main Thing is that our pantries provide an opportunity to be like God--to be united with

Him--revealing his compassionate mercy to people who may be feeling the most isolated, the
most judged (by them- selves and others), the least cared about, and the most defeated by life.
No one can take advantage of us. Providing food without considering who deserves it is to be
good to those who do right and wrong alike. This is our highest purpose.

Jim Wright

fishpantry.org

Volume 1 Issue 1

December 5, 2015

More Than a Food Pantry

FISH Hospitality Pantry oers more than groceries to the Knoxville community. The pantry has a variety
of cultural and educational programs including, You Teach Me/ I Teach You, Mosaic, and the Womens
Community School.
You Teach Me/ I Teach You is a special class for pantry guests
who what to learn English and for pantry volunteers who want
to learn Spanish. The class began in 2011 and develops stronger
communications across each culture. Many participants bring
their children, so we decided to incorporate a childrens
language enrichment curriculum. The cultural exchange
program is the gateway between guests and volunteers to create
a deeper connection with one another.

Mosaic, or multi-cultural leaders institute, is a vehicle for diminishing

racism, developing leadership, and building the community. The program
is designed to dispel prejudices and misconception as well as build good
working relationships among volunteers from diverse ethnic, racial, and
economic backgrounds. Mosaic focuses on empowering and
understanding leaders from Latino, African-American, and Anglo cultures
to address problems such as hunger.

Lastly, FISH oers a womens community school, which was

launched in 2008, to bring to life the talents and abilities from
diverse women. The program allows women from dierent
social, racial, and economic backgrounds to come together to
improve situations in their neighborhood and communities.
These women partake in a six month class and address the
world as it is in contrast to the world as it should be. By
discovering nee abilities in themselves as well as being equipped
with a new understanding of their community, these women
have the chance to contribute and change the community
around them.
Through each cultural and educational program, FISH is growing into more than a food pantry, but rather
becoming a community involvement center. People from every background are welcomed to FISH with
open arms and the chance to learn.

FISH Hospitality Pantries 800 Northshore Drive Knoxville, TN 37919

fishpantry.org

865-588-9200
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