Service was suspended due to Covid-19, but now that state restrictions have been relaxed, FISH of Franklin can go back to its mission – helping Franklin residents get to their medical appointments. Current requirements to use FISH for a ride include:
•    all clients must be fully vaccinated and finished with the two-week waiting period following vaccination in order to receive a ride;
•    all drivers will also need to be fully vaccinated and finished with the two-week waiting period;
•    drivers and clients will be required to wear masks;
•    clients must be able to walk and to enter and exit vehicles and doctors’ offices without assistance.
Originally founded in England, the Franklin chapter of FISH was created in 1973 after a meeting of townspeople at the Federated Church. It is a non-profit organization run completely by volunteers. People give their time to either drive or answer telephone calls. They schedule and arrange for drivers to transport clients to and from appointments. They have driven as far as Boston and Providence, and locations in between such as Milford, Upton, Walpole, Wellesley and Norwood Hospital. 
The name comes from the ichthus - the ancient Greek symbol used by early Christians. In those early times, the fish symbol was a secret sign for a safe haven.
Volunteer Chris Oliveira got involved with FISH after a friend of hers called upon the group for help getting to and from treatments at a Boston hospital. “I retired in 2015 from the field of human services.  I was still pretty young, and I felt the need to continue to be involved somehow in human service.” Oliveira first helped to answer phones, and later, she joined the steering committee.

The organization’s number of volunteers has dwindled in the past year, and so the organization could use several more hands. Volunteers are needed to drive and to help with the phone lines.
“We don’t have a live phone line,” says Oliveira, “We have a line where people who need a ride leave a message.” Every week day, Monday through Friday, a volunteer checks the phone line to see if someone has requested a ride. If there are requests, they try to arrange the ride from available transportation volunteers. Each volunteer, whether a driver or a phone volunteer, is asked to contribute one day each month.
Oliveira adds, “Every week, there’s also a coordinator who keeps an eye on everything that’s going on to make sure there’s communication between one volunteer and the next and to assist the volunteers as needed.”
As FISH gets back up and running, those requesting rides can request up to two rides to medical appointments per month. In the past, FISH was able to accommodate up to three separate rides a day, but “Right now, we don’t have enough drivers to fill the whole calendar,” says Oliveira, adding that the names of all those requesting rides are kept confidential.
If you are interested in volunteering for FISH, call Chris at (508) 553-3023.
If you are a Franklin resident who needs a ride to a medical appointment, call FISH at (508) 528-2121.

FISH of Franklin: Volunteers Needed!
FISH of Franklin is an organization that provides rides to Franklin residents who need help getting to their medical appointments. You can help! Volunteers aged 21 and over are needed to:
•    Drive Franklin residents to medical appointments; or
•    Check phone lines Monday through Friday and match requests with rides.
Each volunteer is asked to commit to one day a month to either drive or manage the phone line.
Interested in volunteering? Call Chris at (508) 553-3023.
Need a ride? Call FISH at (508) 528-2121.