FISH of the Santa Rosa

What FISH of the Santa Rosa does

FISH of the Santa Rosa (legal name: F.I.S.H. of the Santa Rosa Area, Inc.) is an independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit food pantry founded in 1972 and headquartered at 1710 Sebastopol Road, Santa Rosa, California. It distributes free monthly groceries — two bags per client containing 3–4 types of protein, canned/boxed staples, bread, and fresh produce — to any individual or family in need, with no proof of income, residence, or forms required. The organization is the largest and oldest independent food pantry in Sonoma County, serves approximately 5,565 people per month (2023, up 29% from 2022), and dispenses roughly 500 families per week across Monday–Friday distribution hours of noon to 2:00 PM.

The organization is 100% volunteer-staffed, including the Executive Director role, with approximately 50 regular volunteers plus additional helpers operating receiving, distribution, driving, and fundraising functions. It has no proprietary technology system beyond a WordPress website and Facebook page, and a six-person board (including Executive Director Jennifer Emery) provides governance. Revenue is 100% donation-dependent, sourced from monetary grants and gifts plus in-kind food contributions.

Cash revenue streams come from local foundation grants (Bethlehem Foundation, Codding Foundation, Community Foundation of Sonoma County, Exchange Bank, Sisters of St. Joseph Healthcare Foundation, Vintners Foundation, Julia Grant, Safeway), individual donations, and fundraisers. In-kind food flows from a broad grocery-store donor network (Target, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Food Maxx, Grocery Outlet, Lucky's, Safeway), bakeries (Boudin, Goguette Bread), gardens (Stony Point Garden, Harvest for the Hungry Garden, Farm to Pantry), and numerous sponsoring churches. The core operational partnership is with Redwood Empire Food Bank (REFB), the pantry's primary and most cost-efficient food source, enabling $1 to procure roughly 5 pounds of food and representing the largest monthly expense. The organization finished a 50th-anniversary milestone in 2022 and is operationally active, though its home-delivery service is currently on hold.

Name

FISH of the Santa Rosa

Legal name

F.I.S.H. of the Santa Rosa Area, Inc.

Website

https://fish-of-santa-rosa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

FISH of Santa Rosa is an independent, all-volunteer 501(c)(3) food pantry in Sonoma County, California, founded in 1972, that distributes free monthly groceries to anyone in need — serving roughly 5,565 people per month.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Food Assistance

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Retail-Grocery Stores (5411)

akta.pro primary industry

Community-Owned / Nonprofit Grocery Stores (CRAHALAB)

Keywords

• Emergency food assistance
• Community food pantry
• Hunger relief services
• Volunteer food distribution
• Charitable food donations

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Rosa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Monetary Donations: Grants from local nonprofits, fundraising campaigns, and individual contributions from donors. Every dollar donated provides approximately 5 pounds of healthy nutritious food through the Redwood Empire Food Bank purchasing program.
2. Food Donations: Direct donations of food from individuals, grocery stores, bakeries, gardens, and community organizations. The organization especially welcomes fresh produce but accepts canned goods, toilet paper, diapers, and dog food.
3. Volunteer Time: Volunteer labor is the primary operational resource. Approximately 50 regular volunteers plus additional helpers staff the pantry, handle food distribution, pickup donations, and manage operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

FISH of Santa Rosa is a non-profit, 100% volunteer-run community food pantry that distributes free groceries (about two bags per client per month containing protein, canned and boxed staples, bread, and fresh produce) directly to anyone in need in Sonoma County without requiring proof of income or residence. It is the largest and oldest independent food pantry in Sonoma County, serving approximately 5,565 people each month and is funded entirely through monetary donations, in-kind food donations, and volunteer labor.

Product overview

FISH of the Santa Rosa operates the largest and oldest independent emergency free food pantry in Sonoma County. The organization provides a core food distribution service where registered clients receive two bags of groceries once per month. Supporting services include a food donation program accepting produce, canned goods, and household items, a volunteer program with various positions, and a monetary donation program offering one-time, recurring, memorial, and legacy giving options. The organization is 100% staffed by volunteers and 100% dependent on donations, serving approximately 5,565 people per month.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food Pantry Distribution Service Community food assistance service offering two bags of groceries per client per month at no cost, containing 3–4 types of protein, basic canned and boxed staples, bread, and fresh produce, to any individual or family in need in Sonoma County without requiring proof of income or residence.
• Monetary Donation Program Named giving program accepting monetary contributions in one-time, recurring, memorial, and legacy formats from individual donors and foundations to fund FISH's grocery distribution operations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Every dollar donated provides approximately 5 pounds of healthy nutritious food
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

25 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Redwood Empire Food BankcoreOthersPrimary food source partner. FISH purchases food at discounted rates from REFB, where their purchasing power of $1 gains 5 pounds of healthy food for some items. REFB is described as the organization's most important source of food and largest monthly expense.
• SafewaymajorOthersGrant provider and food donor supporting FISH operations.
• Target (Rohnert Park and Santa Rosa)majorOthersFood donor providing donated food items to FISH for distribution to clients.
• Trader Joe'smajorOthersFood donor providing donated food items to FISH for distribution to clients.
• Whole FoodsmajorOthersFood donor providing donated food items to FISH for distribution to clients.
• Food MaxxmajorOthersFood donor providing donated food items to FISH for distribution to clients.
• Grocery OutletmajorOthersFood donor providing donated food items to FISH for distribution to clients.
• Boudin BakerymajorOthersFood donor providing donated bread and bakery items to FISH for distribution to clients.
• Dutch Bros.minorOthersFood donor providing donated items to FISH.
• Farm to PantrymajorOthersFarm partner providing fresh produce donations to FISH.
• Stony Point GardenmajorOthersCommunity garden that has supplied organic produce to FISH since 2010. Managed by Karen Girard, board member.
• Harvest for the Hungry GardenminorOthersGarden program providing fresh produce donations to FISH.
• Lucky'sminorOthersGrocery store providing donated food items to FISH.
• Goguette BreadminorOthersBakery providing donated bread items to FISH.
• Sprint Copy Center in SebastopolminorOthersService provider donating printing/copying services to FISH.
• Cruisin North Car Club, IncminorOthersCommunity organization providing food donations to FISH.
• First United Methodist ChurchcoreOthersFounding location of FISH in 1972. FISH began in the library of this church. The congregation provided space for the food pantry's early operations before it grew and moved to its own location.
• Bethlehem Lutheran ChurchmajorOthersActive supporter and sponsor. Board member George Schweizer is an active member of this church.
• First Presbyterian ChurchminorOthersChurch sponsor providing support to FISH.
• First Congregational Church (Humboldt Street)minorOthersChurch sponsor providing support to FISH.
• Oakmont Community ChurchminorOthersChurch sponsor providing support to FISH.
• Presbyterian Church of the RosesminorOthersChurch sponsor providing support to FISH.
• Unitarian Universalist CongregationminorOthersChurch sponsor providing support to FISH.
• United Church of ChristminorOthersChurch sponsor providing support to FISH.
• Unity Church of Santa RosaminorOthersChurch sponsor providing support to FISH.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Strengths4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/FISHofSantaRosa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about FISH of the Santa Rosa