WHEREAS, Herndon–Reston Friendly Instant Sympathetic Help, Inc., was founded to help Herndon and Reston residents cope with short-term financial crises by providing friendly, instant, sympathetic help and by helping to stabilize lives by preventing evictions, keeping utilities from being turned off, and helping to finance immediate medical needs; and

WHEREAS, the services of Herndon–Reston Friendly Instant Sympathetic Help (FISH) are targeted to assist the nearly 7,000 residents from all racial and ethnic groups who are living at or near the poverty line in the Herndon and Reston communities; and

WHEREAS, Herndon–Reston FISH established an emergency assistance program to respond to requests for rent, utilities, medical prescriptions, and other critical needs bills so that families in need do not have to consider whether they can afford necessary food, medicine, and housing; and

WHEREAS, Herndon–Reston FISH directs cash assistance payments to prevent homelessness and utility shutoffs, shielding families from having to make choices between paying for food or paying for medicine; and

WHEREAS, Herndon–Reston FISH established a Bargain Loft in 1981 as a volunteer-run outpost for household goods, clothes, and other items, with profits going toward emergency family assistance; and

WHEREAS, Herndon–Reston FISH operates a holiday food program that served 897 individuals in 2023, 18 percent of whom were children, relieving stress in many households and allowing them to use their funds for housing or other basic needs; and

WHEREAS, Herndon–Reston FISH has created several other programs to provide 510 holiday gifts to children, including nearly $5,000 in gift cards for youths aged 11 to 18; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Herndon–Reston Friendly Instant Sympathetic Help, Inc., hereby be commended for 55 years of serving people in need in the Reston and Herndon communities; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Herndon–Reston Friendly Instant Sympathetic Help, Inc., as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for the organization's significant contributions to the Northern Virginia communities it serves.