F.I.S.H. Food Pantry

What F.I.S.H. Food Pantry does

F.I.S.H. Food Pantry (Friend, I Shall Help) is a volunteer-run, IRS-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit food pantry founded in 1970 and headquartered in Carpentersville, Illinois. It provides a five-to-ten day emergency supply of food to families and individuals experiencing food insecurity across six communities: Carpentersville, East and West Dundee, Sleepy Hollow, Pingree Grove, and Gilberts. All operations are staffed entirely by unpaid volunteers, with no paid employees on the headcount.

The pantry operates a three-channel client-choice service model that distinguishes it from traditional pre-pack food pantries: in-store selection where families choose their own items, online order for pickup at the pantry, and home delivery for registered residents confined to home for health or other reasons. New clients register through Northern Illinois Food Bank's link2feed platform, and eligibility is anchored to Illinois Department of Human Services income guidelines. The organization maintains an active Facebook presence for community updates and partners with the Department of Public Aid, Dundee Township Supervisor's Office, local churches, and social agencies for client referrals.

Funding is entirely donation-based, with no fees charged to clients. Revenue streams include cash donations (via PayPal or credit card), in-kind food and personal care item donations, and a Walmart Spark Good round-up partnership enabling checkout donations on Walmart.com and the Walmart app. The pantry's affiliation with Northern Illinois Food Bank provides an 8x purchasing-power leverage — every $1 in cash donations purchases approximately $8 of supermarket-equivalent food — and underpins the link2feed registration technology. In 2025, the pantry recorded over 14,000 visits and provided food for more than 70,000 people.

Name

F.I.S.H. Food Pantry

Legal name

FISH Food Pantry

Website

https://fish-food-pantry.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

F.I.S.H. Food Pantry is a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1970 that provides emergency food assistance to families in need across six Illinois communities (Carpentersville, Dundee, Sleepy Hollow, Pingree Grove, Gilberts) via in-store selection, online pickup, and home delivery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Food Assistance Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Nutrition Relief (Emergency Feeding) (BPAGAAAD)

Keywords

• Emergency food assistance
• Food pantry services
• Charitable food distribution
• Community food relief
• Food insecurity support

Headquarters

HQ city

Carpentersville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Cash Donations: Direct monetary contributions from individuals, organizations, churches, schools, businesses, scouts, women's and men's organizations. Due to affiliation with Northern Illinois Food Bank, every $1 donated buys $8 worth of food from supermarkets.
2. Food Donations: Accepts food and personal care item donations from the public, local grocery stores, and organized food drives. Food is sorted, stocked, and distributed to clients.
3. Corporate Partnership (Walmart): Walmart round-up program where customers can round up totals at checkout to donate to FISH Food Pantry.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

F.I.S.H. Food Pantry provides a 5–10 day emergency food supply to families and individuals in Carpentersville and surrounding Illinois communities. Clients access assistance through three channels: client-choice in-store food selection, online ordering for pantry pickup, and home delivery for registered homebound residents. All services are free to eligible recipients meeting Illinois Department of Human Services income guidelines.

Product overview

F.I.S.H. Food Pantry is a client-choice food pantry offering three food assistance methods: in-store food selection where clients pick items themselves, online ordering for pickup at the pantry, and home delivery for registered residents confined to home. Founded in 1970, the nonprofit also accepts monetary donations (via PayPal) and physical food/personal care item donations, including group food drives. The pantry uses Northern Illinois Food Bank affiliation to maximize donation impact ($1 = $8 worth of food).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• In-Store Food Selection Client-choice pantry where eligible families physically visit the Carpentersville storefront (inside Meadowdale Mall) during operating hours and personally select the food items they need. Open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 10am–12pm and Wednesday 6pm–7:15pm. One household member permitted in the pantry at a time; children not permitted in the selection area.
• Online Order for Pickup Online ordering channel that lets registered families place a food order in advance via the Northern Illinois Food Bank link2feed platform and collect it at the pantry. Orders must be submitted by 9am on the requested pickup day; pickup is available Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings.
• Home Delivery Delivery service for registered FISH households in Carpentersville, Dundee, Sleepy Hollow, Gilberts, and Pingree Grove who are confined to home due to health or other reasons. Orders must be submitted by 6pm Sunday; deliveries are made on Mondays between 9am and 1pm.

Quantifiable outcome

• In 2025: 14,000+ visits, served 70,000+ people across 6 communities
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Northern Illinois Food BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor food bank affiliation providing purchasing power ($1 = $8 worth of food), food sourcing, and online registration platform (link2feed). FISH receives bulk food purchases and access to food bank network.
• WalmartminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWalmart round-up program allowing customers shopping on Walmart.com or in the Walmart app to round up totals and donate change to FISH Food Pantry.
• Churches, Schools, Businesses, Scouts, OrganizationsminorOthersCommunity organizations providing cash and food donations to support FISH operations. Includes women's and men's organizations and local grocery stores.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Catholic Charities USA: National network operating food pantries and emergency assistance programs through diocesan affiliates. Overlaps with FISH in serving low-income families and provides one of the referral pathways into FISH's services.
• St. Vincent de Paul USA: National Catholic charitable organization operating food pantries and home visit programs. Overlaps with FISH on emergency food assistance for low-income families and senior citizens.

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: National hunger-relief organization and parent network of which regional food banks (including NIFB) are members. Sets standards, coordinates food sourcing, and provides a comparable framework for community-based food assistance at scale.
• Greater Chicago Food Depository: Regional food bank serving Cook County, Illinois. Operates a much larger footprint than FISH but shares the same hunger-relief mission, similar donation and volunteer funding model, and partner-pantry network structure.
• The Salvation Army: National nonprofit operating food pantries and meal programs across the U.S., including in Carpentersville-area communities. Provides overlapping food assistance as part of a broader social services portfolio.

Regional players

• Midwest Food Bank: Regional food bank operating across multiple Midwestern states (including Illinois). Comparable hunger-relief mission and partner-pantry distribution model, though serving a broader geography than FISH.
• Houston Food Bank: Large regional food bank operating a comparable distribution model through partner pantries and mobile distributions in a different U.S. geography. Useful benchmark for scaling a community pantry network.

Direct peers

• Northern Illinois Food Bank: FISH's primary supply partner and regional food bank serving the same northern Illinois geography. Operates a network of partner pantries with a comparable mission and provides the link2feed platform FISH uses for client registration.
• Aurora Interfaith Food Pantry: Faith-affiliated community food pantry serving Aurora, Illinois, in the same Fox River Valley region as FISH. Operates a comparable client-choice, donation-funded model for food-insecure families.
• Elgin Community Food Pantry: Nearby Kane County community food pantry serving Elgin and surrounding villages. Directly comparable hyper-local, volunteer-driven, client-choice pantry model serving similar low-income populations in the same Illinois region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/fishfoodpantry
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fish-food-pantry

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 F.I.S.H. Food Pantry