About

MissionHistoryBoard of DirectorsStats and Community ImpactBOD BiosStaff

FISH’s mission is to deliver groceries to our homebound neighbors who are experiencing food insecurity. We are committed to alleviating the physical, emotional, and financial stress caused by hunger.

Our Vision is to feed our hungry homebound neighbors one delivery at a time.

FISH is a private, nonprofit and non-denominational social service organization. The idea of FISH started from a network of neighbors helping neighbors that started in 1961 in Oxford, England. The fish emblem that they chose is an ancient symbol of concern and caring. We remain committed to helping our neighbors.

FISH came to New Haven in 1968. It was organized by a group of concerned members of Saint John’s Episcopal Church in North Haven, Dunbar United Church in Hamden, and Christian Community Action Agency in New Haven. These individuals wished to begin a program for serving the needy in the community so FISH became formally incorporated on February 21, 1968, at a meeting held in the storefront of Christian Community Action.

In the beginning, volunteers provided hot meals, transportation to medical appointments, baby-sitting and accommodations in emergency situations. Volunteers offered help 24 hours a day through a telephone answering service. Since other agencies now provide many of these services, FISH continues its services by providing free bags of non-perishable groceries directly to food insecure homebound residents.

2020 Board Members

- Dan Shelter, President
- Sunny Nariyani, Vice President
- Robert Siegler, Co-Treasurer
- Edward Simon, Co-Treasurer
- Gabrielle Joyce, Secretary
- Michelle Riley
- Mina Williamson
- Lauren Zimmerman
- John Cesaroni
- Julia Hunt Bogardus
- Presidents Emeriti: Steven Werlin, Susan Redente

Treasurers Emeriti: Norman Choiniere, John Gallagher

FISH is a food pantry that delivers to 1,000 households each month, representing over 2,500 individuals. FISH’s Pantry to Pantry Program caters to homebound individuals in the Greater New Haven area. Every month, our program provides groceries to homebound individuals who are elderly, disabled, or injured in such a way that makes it difficult to leave their homes. Our volunteer drivers deliver groceries to clients’ homes, providing fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy, nuts, juices, and shelf stable items to their front doors.

Pantry to Pantry ProgramA demographic breakdown of those we served from January 2021 – December 2021.
31,200 Individuals.
11,016 Households served.
18,311 Deliveries made.
475,744 pounds of groceries were delivered.

Dan Shetler

Dan runs the quality assurance department at the Connecticut Mental Health Center (CMHC) and has a background in nonprofit management and data science. He is the current President of the board.

Sunny Nariyani

Sunny joined FISH in 2018 as a volunteer, wanting to help families have access to nutritious food in his community. He then became a board member and now serves as Vice President on the board, as well as Chair of the Fund Development Committee. Sunny lives in New Haven and works as a marketing executive in the financial services industry.

Ed Simon

Ed has been volunteering for FISH since 2017, and has been an active board member since 2018 and is currently Co-Treasurer. He joined FISH with a believe in their mission statement, and has seen firsthand how FISH provides health and stability to those in our community.

Robert Siegler

Bob is a retired Mechanical Engineer with 45 years of professional experience. He joined the FISH board a year after volunteering to deliver groceries for FISH, with the hope of continuing to make a difference in the lives of local families with food insecurity. Bob has been an active board member for many years and is currently Co-Treasurer.

John Cesaroni

John Cesaroni is an attorney at Zeisler & Zeisler, P.C. in Bridgeport where he specializes in business litigation and insolvency. He has been a member of the board of FISH since 2016

Lauren Zimmermann serves as the Director of Strategy and Operations for Supportive Housing Works, a nonprofit that harnesses the power of collective impact to provide equitable access to housing in Western CT.

Gabrielle Joyce

Gabi is Vice President of Client Experience for InspireCorps, LLC, coach & facilitator with masters in social work.

Julia Hunt Borgardus

Julia Bogardus is a regular volunteer at FISH, a past business owner in New Haven, and is also active in the arts community.

Mina Williamson is a member of Witness to Hunger, and I was a member of the Connecticut Food Bank for four years. She joined the Fish Organization a little over a year ago. Her goal is to share as much information as I can regarding food insecurity in the Greater New Haven area.

Michelle is a nonprofit development professional who specializes in fundraising, event management, and marketing. She has always had a passion for ensuring fair and equal access to all things related to health, including eliminating food insecurity.

Jill Meyerhoff – Executive Director