Broomfield FISH Celebrates 60 Years of Service

By Kristen Beckman

Sixty years ago, women from six Broomfield churches saw a need in the community and joined together to create FISH - or Fellowship In Serving Humanity - to help their neighbors. Initially operating out of their own homes, FISH members distributed up to 45 food baskets each year until 1977, when Cowboy Cleaners and Jim Van Buskirk’s Grocery Store started hosting the “FISH Cupboard,” which FISH used through 1983 to distribute up to 75 food baskets each year.

During the past six decades, FISH has grown from a small, all-volunteer-run organization to a bustling food bank and family resource center helping low-income residents to thrive. In 2022, FISH served 12,553 unduplicated people, distributed more than 1.4 million pounds of food, provided 138 families with utilities assistance, and helped stabilize 1,228 residents in their homes. FISH has grown from a staff of three full-time people and 60 regular volunteers, to a staff of 17, with more than 200 regular volunteers and 20,000 volunteer hours.

Dayna Scott has served as the executive director at FISH for almost eight years. She was hired at a pivotal time of organizational growth and tasked with moving to a bigger building, increasing organizational capacity to meet the rising community need, and later with navigating a pandemic. As the organization celebrates its 60th anniversary, Scott shared some of FISH’s history, important milestones and plans for the future with Our Broomfield Magazine.

Q: What was the original mission of Broomfield FISH and how has that mission evolved over the past 60 years?

A: The original mission statement of FISH back in the 1960s was “to give assistance and comfort to anyone needing help and to provide such non-professional services as are necessary and possible.” The mission statement has since changed, but the overall sentiment remains the same. Our current mission is: “to meet our neighbors’ basic human needs and provide them with the hope and tools to rise out of poverty.”

Q: What are some of the most significant or noteworthy milestones/accomplishments since it was founded?

A: In 1983, Shirley McGuinness became the first official employee, serving as the director and president of Broomfield FISH until she passed away in 2009. In 1984, the basement of the Broomfield Depot Museum became FISH’s home, and Shirley and volunteers distributed up to 600 food baskets per year.

In 1996, the city provided FISH with space in the basement at #12 Garden Center. That, along with office space at #26 Garden Center in 2005, became FISH’s home base. During this time, FISH distributed between 800 and 4,200 food baskets each year.

In 2015, the FISH board of directors realized that the organization could not meet the growing need in the county at its current location. FISH worked with the Rotary Club and Sill-TerHar Motors to purchase a new refrigerated box truck so that they could increase food donations.

Between 2016 and 2017, FISH met with the City Council to talk about transforming the old police station, turned Department of Human Services building at 6 Garden Center, into FISH’s new headquarters. Community members Amy Bockman, Nick Powell, Steve Reynolds, and John Brunetti were instrumental in helping secure and design the new space. FISH signed a lease agreement with the City and County, and used a grant from the Lakin Family Foundation, to remodel 6 Garden Center. This was a critical milestone for FISH, as it allowed the organization to create a costfree, self-shop marketplace that offered dignity and respect to neighbors in need. It also meant FISH could expand services and help more families than ever before. During 2017, FISH helped 5,859 unduplicated residents and gave out 705,132 pounds of food.

In 2018, FISH joined the Colorado Family Resource Center Association and began offering an array of resources and programs designed to help low-income residents thrive. FISH continued its work to prevent hunger but also created new programs to address housing instability, promote self-sufficiency, and encourage whole-family health and well-being. During that year, FISH helped 6,047 unduplicated residents, gave out 889,107 pounds of food, and provided 369 residents with housing assistance.

When the pandemic hit in 2020, FISH had to pivot quickly to adapt operations and meet skyrocketing demand for assistance. In order to serve everyone in need safely, we had to shift from a self-shop marketplace to a drive-up food distribution model. We also had to increase staff and switch to virtual/remote financial assistance appointments. On average we helped up to 1,200 families each month, distributed 150,000 pounds of food per month, and provided more than $100,000 per month in direct emergency rent and utility assistance.

Q: How does FISH serve the community today?

A: Generally, FISH serves residents in Broomfield County living at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level, offering food, emergency financial assistance, and referral services to more than 30 partner organizations, and strengths-based, whole-family development pathways. We have a cost-free, self-shop marketplace where families can access nutritious food. Our marketplace model centers on dignity and respect for residents, and allows our participants to have choice in the food they take home to their families. Our financial assistance programs help residents overcome barriers to self-sufficiency and move toward more stability.

Q: What are the goals for FISH for the next decade?

A: FISH’s primary goal is to meet the needs of low-income community residents and help them thrive. Ultimately, if we address the more systemic issues related to poverty, fewer residents will need safety net services. FISH has become more involved in the housing discussion in recent years because housing is our participants’ No. 1 barrier to self-sufficiency. Most of our families report spending 70 percent or more of their monthly income on housing, which leaves little for other necessities like food, healthcare or childcare. FISH is working in partnership with other agencies, nonprofits, and developers to find creative solutions to the affordable housing crisis in Broomfield.

Q: Why has the organization been successful over 60 years?

A: We credit some of our success these past six decades to our dedicated staff and volunteers. Two staff have been with FISH for more than 14 years – Sharin Oliver as a volunteer, volunteer coordinator, and operations manager, as well as Mike Lutz, who has grown with FISH as our food operations team manager. Volunteers have also been the heart and soul of our organization. In 2022, we were fortunate to have had more than 200 regular volunteers and many on and off-site groups give 20,000 hours to support our mission.

FISH’s success is also due to the incredibly generous support of our donors and our collaborations across the county have helped us to be successful. We work with more than 30 partner organizations and agencies that enable us to provide quality wrap-around support to families in need. Seven organizations co-locate with us on a permanent or regular basis at 6 Garden Center.

Q: How is FISH celebrating its anniversary with the community?

A: For our 60th anniversary, we are hosting a Yard Art Competition. All of our Broomfield neighbors are eligible to participate by decorating their yard and/or sidewalk around the theme of Broomfield FISH’s 60th anniversary. Send photos to events@broomfieldfish.org by Friday, June 16.

Guest judges will select a winner from the submissions who will be announced at our 60th-anniversary celebration on Thursday, June 22 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at 6 Garden Center. The celebration that day is free and open to the public.

We also encourage residents to share their stories and pictures of FISH from the past 60 years by emailing them to events@broomfieldfish.org.