Eric Fisher

By ALLISON SELK

Shaw Media correspondent

As a 10-year-old, Eric Fisher volunteered at a food drive where volunteers went down a row to fill a box with food. The box was then taped up and given to the recipient.

In March 2020, the need for help soared. As executive director of We Care of Grundy County, Fisher knew he could not shut down the services his community members would need most.

“First we had to maintain services, keep clients, volunteers and staff safe, and I knew we could continue without missing a beat,” Fisher said.

The nonprofit We Care offers clothing, food, holiday and one-time rent/mortgage assistance to Grundy County residents. It also provides classes on-site on topics of mental health, life skills and parenting as well as organizes the Pathway of Hope program with the goal of ending the cycle of crisis.

The food bank moved outside, and Fisher used that assembly line method he experienced as a child to get food to clients. With those needs met, Fisher said the rent assistance became the No. 1 service, rising 140%.

“A normal year we spend $40,000 to $50,000 in rent assistance, in the 2020 fiscal year, we spent $118,000,” Fisher said.

Fisher said the longevity of the nonprofit — 41 years — in Grundy County helped because people knew the organization and gave generously. Local businesses such as LyondellBasell sent a large grant, but Fisher also sat down at his computer to find and apply for other grants to fulfill the large demands.

“Eric figured out a way to get his clients the help they need in a time of national crisis on a very local level,” said LyondellBasell Public Relations Lead Megan Borchers. “Eric and his team are true heroes.”

Borchers said Fisher was also asked to be a part of the LyondellBasell Community Advisory Panel, providing feedback from a community standpoint. The two groups also partner in manpower, food pantry assistance and mobile food distribution.

“When he has a specific need, he reaches out for help,” Borchers said.

After the initial crisis but still mid-pandemic, Fisher decided to remodel the building to make it more user-friendly for clients and staff. Offices are now near the rear of the building, where clients come in to receive food and clothing. On the south side, former offices were remodeled to accommodate classes.

“We want to bring back the old adage, ‘If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, but if you teach him how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime,’” Fisher said about the remodel for the life skills, ACEs Parenting and Family to Family classes.

Phil Wardlow, vice president of Grundy Area PADS, said he worked with Fisher in the #GiveGrundy group of local nonprofits, which banded together as a team to support one another.

Fisher used his background in graphic design to create logos, ads, posters and more for the group. Wardlow said Fisher brings information to the group — such as difficulties about clients’ needs — in an understandable way, allowing the team to facilitate help.

Wardlow described Fisher as compassionate and passionate about his work, approachable and nonjudgmental.

“He is the hub and the spokes are the nonprofits, he directs people so the person isn’t sitting out there languishing in a hopeless situation,” Wardlow said of Fisher. “I couldn’t sing Eric’s praises loud enough — he’s the go-to guy.”