Herndon-FISH Inc. reopened its thrift store, The Bargain Loft, this week to the public.

The thrift store (336 Victory Drive) temporarily closed mid-March due to COVID-19 but is now open to the public again under safety protocol.

The store is requiring that every customer and employee wear a mask and maintain proper social distancing at all times. Hand sanitizer will be readily available and no more than 10 shoppers will be allowed in the store at a time, according to a statement from the company. 

“We are delighted to reopen our store and look forward to serving our customers again,” said Mary Jo Baedecker, the Chair of The Bargain Loft Committee and a member of the FISH Board of Directors, and Barbara Williams, the manager of Bargain Loft. 

The thrift shop sells household items, furniture, collectibles, toys, women’s clothing, and other treasures. 

The Bargain Loft is also accepting donations. Donations can be dropped off at the store’s back door. All donations will go through a two to three-day quarantine period before going up on the shelves for sale. 

The store is open from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturday. 

Photo via The Bargain Loft/Facebook

Since COVID-19 has negatively impacted community members, Community Foundation for Northern Virginia recently awarded $1.5 million in grants to 70 regional non-profits around the Northern Virginia region, including Reston and Herndon.

So far, four rounds of grants have been given out to the non-profits and a fifth-round is currently under review. Reston based non-profit Cornerstones, received $15,000 in the first phase of the grant which will go towards promoting “self-sufficiency by providing support and advocacy for those in need of food, shelter, affordable housing, quality childcare, and other human services,” according to the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority.

In round two, Herndon-Reston FISH, which assists local residents in crisis, was granted another $15,ooo, the page said. FISH, which is short for Friendly Instant Sympathetic Help, assists low-income families and individuals by helping to pay utilities, offering personal finance classes, and assisting with medications and health, its website said.

“The Community Foundation’s COVID-19 Response Fund…is built to help carry the heaviest burdens for those who can’t do this alone — or can’t do this alone anymore,” Eileen Ellsworth, president, and CEO of the CFNV said. ‘Those for whom future planning is a luxury because today’s needs have overthrown it. Those who are suffering the most with the least wherewithal to weather the storm.”

Photo via Cornerstones/ Facebook

It’s been 50 years since Herndon-Reston FISH began helping Herndon and Reston residents in short-term financial crisis.

The organization, which has an acronym stands for friendly, instant sympathetic help, will celebrate its past successes and preview plans for the future at a public meeting on Monday, July 15.

The meeting takes from at Dominion Energy Offices, which are located at 3072 Centreville Road), from noon to 2 p.m.

Attendees will get the change to meet the organization’s new executive director, Mary Saunders. Local high school students will offer entertainment and light refreshments will also be provided.

HRFISH was founded in 1969 to provide emergency financial assistance to residents, including rent, critical dental care and medical prescriptions.

Short-term assistance “averts evictions that could lead to homelessness, prevents health problems from escalating, keeps the electricity on and the water running, and helps to ensure our neighbors’ well-being and stability are preserved,” according to the organization.

Photo via Herndon-Reston FISH/Facebook

Herndon-Reston FISH (Friendly Instant Sympathetic Help) has hired the first fulltime executive director in its 45-year history.

Christine Poward comes to FISH with more than two decades of leading health care and nonprofit organizations.

Prior to joining Herndon Reston FISH, Christine served as the Interim Division Director for Marketing and Development for NeighborWorks America, a $250 million non-governmental organization aimed at affordable housing and community development.

Poward holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland.

“I am excited to be joining Herndon-Reston FISH during this exciting time in their growth,” she says. “FISH has been an integral part of the Herndon Reston communities for 45 years, and I look forward to being part of this great organization and the work they do.”

FISH responds to local residents’ emergency requests for rent, transportation, utilities, medical prescriptions and other needs.

Photo by Jennifer Heffner.