50 Years of Community Support

Gig Harbor Peninsula FISH, Meeting rising needs across the Peninsula

By Like Media Team

Founded in 1976, Gig Harbor Peninsula FISH Food Bank & Community Services (GHP FISH) began with a simple idea: neighbors showing up for neighbors. Nearly five decades later, that principle continues to guide the organization as it responds to growing and often hidden needs across greater Gig Harbor, Fox Island, the Key Peninsula, and nearby communities.

Food insecurity in Gig Harbor is real and often hidden. Many clients are working households, retirees, or individuals facing sudden setbacks. As one former client wrote after finding stability again, “You met us with warmth, respect, and kindness when we felt our most broken.”

The organization began with founder Jan Coen and her husband, Ron. While stationed in San Diego with the U.S. Navy, Jan volunteered with a church-led social services network. When the couple returned to Gig Harbor in 1975, she looked for a similar resource and found none. What she did find were families quietly struggling. With support from local churches, firefighters, and police officers, Jan helped form a locally driven volunteer network built on compassion and responsibility.

GHP FISH officially began service on June 15, 1976, operating through a single phone line routed to volunteers’ homes. Early assistance ranged from childcare and meals to transportation and emotional support. Those personal, neighbor-to-neighbor moments set the tone for what the organization would become.

As the peninsula grew, the need for more structured services followed. In the early 1980s, when a county-supported food bank closed, GHP FISH volunteers stepped in to ensure the community didn’t lose access to emergency food. Over time, services expanded to include groceries, financial assistance, gently used clothing, educational aid, and holiday support. Temporary spaces gave way to rented facilities, each one quickly outgrown.

That growth culminated in July 2022 with the opening of GHP FISH’s purpose-built facility on Burnham Drive. The 10,600-square-foot building allows clients to self-shop for food, household items, clothing, and hygiene products in a setting designed to preserve dignity. It also supports expanded volunteer operations, food storage, and administrative coordination. Since moving in, client visits and volunteer participation have increased significantly.

In fiscal year 2025, GHP FISH averaged more than 900 food bank visits per month, distributing the equivalent of over 618,000 meals valued at more than $1.6 million. The organization also provided $332,000 in emergency financial aid to help households remain housed, maintain utilities, and stay employed.

“We also want people to know there has been a steady increase in need, with family visits doubling over the past three years,” says board president Ron Coen. “At the same time, inflation has increased our expenses for food and facility operations.”

GHP FISH remains volunteer-led, with nearly 350 volunteers, and is governed by a working board. That group includes 30–40 high school volunteers who play a meaningful role in daily operations and help extend food bank hours into the early evening two days a week. A small paid staff provides continuity, while administrative costs remain minimal, with 96 percent of the budget directed back into the community.

“It is a privilege working alongside these dedicated volunteers,” Jan Coen says. “We love working together to provide tangible help and encouragement to people who are facing tough times.”

As GHP FISH approaches its 50th anniversary, the focus remains on meeting rising needs, managing higher costs, and continuing the work the community depends on. For more information or ways to help, visit GHPFISH.org.