Modesto-based nonprofit has a new name, and the same commitment to feeding people
Interfaith Ministries of Greater Modesto has changed its name to better convey its core mission of feeding people.
The nonprofit became Food Initiative of Greater Stanislaus as of Nov. 21. The switch brings an acronym, FIGS, and a new logo depicting the biblical fruit.
The group continues its decades-long service out of headquarters on Kerr Avenue in the Airport Neighborhood. This includes clothing for low-income people, fitness classes and links to services for children exposed to domestic violence.
“We chose to emphasize the food aspect since it’s 90% of what we do and, we believe, the more pressing issue,” CEO Elizabeth Wight said by email Friday.
Several congregations founded Interfaith in the 1960s. It incorporated in 1978 and has provided the equivalent of more than 3 million free meals in recent years.
People can get canned goods, bread, frozen foods and other items. Wight has emphasized fresh fruits and vegetables during her time as CEO.
COVID-19 multiplies demand
Like many nonprofits, FIGS faces dual challenges from COVID-19: Many more people are out of work, and volunteer ranks have shrunk.
Wight’s agency gave out 61,283 pounds of food in February, just before the pandemic arrived in the county. That nearly tripled to 174,786 pounds by April.
FIGS continues to need volunteers, who use masks and other safety measures.
A news release said the namesake fruit “represents welcome and abundance in many religions, honoring their heritage as an interfaith organization.”
Figs originated in the Mediterranean and western Asia and are a minor crop amid the Central Valley’s bounty.
