FISH

What FISH does

FISH (FISH Williamsburg) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1975 by Ling Ngo in Williamsburg, Virginia. It operates a volunteer-run emergency assistance program providing food, clothing, and small housewares to residents of Williamsburg, James City County, and York County. The organization is supported entirely by over 250 unpaid volunteers and a 12-member elected Board of Directors; it has no paid staff, with 100% of financial donations flowing directly to client services. Core products include a Food Assistance Program (providing 7 days of nutritionally balanced meals per household member), a Clothing Closet (available every 120 days), Housewares Assistance (available annually), and supplementary programs such as monthly hotel-family food delivery (75+ families), Summer Meals for Kids contributions (200+ children), school snacks, and Williams & Mary Food Exchange support.

The organization distributes services through a walk-in facility at 312 Second Street, Williamsburg (operating Monday-Friday, 10am-4pm) and through partner-mediated channels including Greater Williamsburg Outreach Mission (GWOM), Williamsburg Area Meals on Wheels, and Williamsburg House of Mercy's Mobile Food Pantries. Revenue is donation-driven, sourced from individual gifts (including via the IBM employee charitable giving program), corporate matching, in-kind contributions of food/clothing/housewares, and foundation grants from local funders including Dominion Energy Foundation, Food Lion Feeds, Papa John's Foundation, Williamsburg Community Foundation, Williamsburg Health Foundation, and Peninsula Community Foundation. The organization holds no proprietary technology, no patents, no AI/ML capabilities, and operates standard nonprofit administration tools.

As of 2025, FISH is executing a Capital Campaign to acquire and renovate an approximately 8,000 square foot permanent facility at 7129 Pocahontas Trail, having reached 80.8% of its fundraising goal. The campaign represents the organization's most significant capacity expansion since its 2022 relocation to the current Second Street campus, which itself followed a March 2020 COVID-19 closure and phased Fall 2020 reopening with no-contact food distribution protocols. FISH is officially designated as a human services partner agency of the City of Williamsburg, embedding it within the regional social-services referral network.

Name

FISH

Legal name

FISH

Website

https://fishwilliamsburg.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Short description

FISH is a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1975 that provides free food, clothing, and household items to economically disadvantaged residents of Williamsburg, James City County, and York County, Virginia, serving thousands of clients annually through 250+ volunteers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Williamsburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations: FISH operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded entirely by donations. Financial contributions come from individuals, corporate matching programs, employer charitable giving programs (e.g., IBM), and stock transfers. 100% of financial contributions are used to serve client needs.
2. Grant Funding: FISH receives grant funding from local foundations and organizations including Bruton Parish Episcopal Church, Dominion Energy Foundation, Empty Bowls Virginia Peninsula, Food Lion Feeds, Kiwanis Club of Williamsburg, Papa John's Foundation, Peninsula Community Foundation, Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, Williamsburg Community Foundation, Williamsburg Health Foundation, and Williamsburg Presbyterian Church.
3. In-Kind Donations: FISH accepts and distributes donations of food, clothing, and household items contributed by the community.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

FISH is a volunteer-run nonprofit that provides free food, clothing, and household items to economically disadvantaged residents of the greater Williamsburg, Virginia area. Services are delivered through a physical food pantry, clothing closet, housewares program, and several outreach initiatives including emergency hotel food delivery, summer meals for children, school snacks, and support for the William & Mary Food Exchange.

Product overview

FISH (Food for Income Sufficiency and Health) is a volunteer-operated nonprofit offering a unified emergency assistance program consisting of three core services: Food Assistance (providing 7 days of meals per household member with nutritionally balanced options), a Clothing Closet (providing clothing and assisting clients in selections), and Housewares Assistance (providing small household items). Beyond direct client services, FISH operates supplementary programs including emergency hotel food delivery to homeless families, contributions to the Summer Meals for Kids program for low-income children, school snack donations, and support for the Williams & Mary Food Exchange. FISH is currently conducting a Capital Campaign to secure a permanent 8,000 sq ft facility at 7129 Pocahontas Trail to better serve its 260+ volunteers and thousands of clients annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food Assistance Program (Food Pantry)
• Clothing Closet
• Housewares Assistance Program
• Emergency Hotel Food Delivery
• Summer Meals for Kids
• School Snacks Program
• College of William & Mary Food Exchange Support

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves thousands of people annually with emergency food, clothing, and housewares assistance
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• City of Williamsburg Human Services Partner AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Official human services partner agency of the City of Williamsburg, coordinating referrals and support for residents in need.
• Peninsula Agency on Aging's RIDES ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015FISH's transportation service was transferred to the Peninsula Agency on Aging's RIDES program in 2015. FISH had provided free transportation to medical appointments for at least 30 years prior.
• Greater Williamsburg Outreach Mission (GWOM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFISH delivers food monthly to several local hotels for 75+ families living there who would otherwise be homeless. FISH provides crockpots to these families, coordinated through GWOM.
• Williamsburg Area Meals on WheelscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFISH contributes food items to the Summer Meals for Kids program through Williamsburg Area Meals on Wheels, making lunches for 200+ homeless and low-income children.
• Williamsburg House of MercycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFISH aids Williamsburg House of Mercy by contributing and distributing food at their Mobile Food Pantries.
• Williams & Mary Food ExchangeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFISH supplies food to the Williams & Mary Food Exchange, supporting food-insecure university community members.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore: Regional food bank operating in the same Southeastern Virginia service area as FISH, sourcing and distributing donated food to a network of partner pantries and direct-service agencies. Highly comparable mission, donor base, and client population.
• Williamsburg House of Mercy: Local nonprofit in Williamsburg providing food pantry, mobile food pantries, and social services to residents in need — overlapping mission, geography, and partner ecosystem with FISH (FISH actively distributes food at House of Mercy Mobile Pantries).
• Grove Christian Outreach Center: Williamsburg-area faith-based nonprofit offering emergency food, clothing, and household assistance to neighbors in need. Closely comparable service mix, walk-in client model, and donor/volunteer base.
• Greater Williamsburg Outreach Mission (GWOM): Williamsburg-area nonprofit serving homeless and at-risk residents with food, shelter, and case management. Direct strategic partner with FISH for hotel-family food deliveries, with overlapping client segments and referral pipelines.
• Peninsula Agency on Aging: Regional nonprofit serving older adults on the Virginia Peninsula with food, transportation, and social services. Comparable donor and volunteer model, and a former partner of FISH (FISH transferred its medical-transport program to PAA's RIDES program in 2015).
• Meals on Wheels America: National nonprofit network delivering meals to seniors and vulnerable populations. FISH partners directly with the local Williamsburg Area Meals on Wheels for the Summer Meals for Kids program — highly comparable volunteer-driven, donation-funded food-distribution model.

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: National umbrella network of 200+ food banks and the largest hunger-relief organization in the U.S. FISH sits within Feeding America's downstream distribution architecture as a partner agency; comparable in mission at a national scale.
• Salvation Army (Williamsburg / Hampton Roads): International nonprofit with a Hampton Roads presence providing food, clothing, and emergency assistance. Overlaps with FISH in service categories and was a recipient of FISH's surplus food during the 2020 COVID closure.
• St. Vincent de Paul Society: National Catholic lay volunteer organization providing food, clothing, furniture, and emergency assistance through local parish-based conferences. Comparable volunteer-run, donation-funded service model with home visit / choice-based client assistance.
• Catholic Charities USA: National network of Catholic Charities agencies providing emergency food, housing, and social services. Comparable mission and donor base at a national scale, with overlapping populations served.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about FISH