Submitted by Matt Marinkovich

Fish For Teeth is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit started by commercial fisherman Matt Marinkovich in 2007 with intentions to “fix peoples teeth.”

From January 2012 through October 2021 Fish for Teeth fixed an estimated 800 people’s teeth, with a 100% volunteer team and self-generated funds. “Team Taco” prepared 350 fish tacos three times a year, funding the Medical Teams International mobile dental van to visit San Juan Island. From there “Team Tooth” scheduled the patients, then local volunteer dental professionals worked their magic and created healthy teeth to those who could otherwise not afford the care.

Fish for Teeth has always worked with the San Juan County Health and Community Services to make the magic happen in the volunteer dental chair. Starting in 2021 Fish for Teeth continued this cooperative relationship through a stepped-up county-wide program* that increased clinic days in Friday Harbor and Orcas Island, and also brought clinics to Lopez Island.

This program is continuing through 2022, and Fish for Teeth is providing the bulk of the funding. The Medical Teams International mobile dental van will be operating in Friday Harbor for 16 clinic days, four days each in January, March, October, and December. The next date is March 7-10.

Since our inception in 2007, Fish for Teeth has shouldered most of the volunteer and organizational burden of fixing people’s teeth. 2022 will see the first year with only a financial commitment from Fish for Teeth. The San Juan County Health and Community Services (working with Medical Teams International) will take the lead in organizing the dental van clinics in Friday Harbor.

Fish for Teeth’s last scheduled fish taco fundraiser was canceled in October 2021 due to differing opinions in the community regarding Covid protocols. After 14 years of the community coming together to make fish tacos, the “coming together” part could not cooperatively happen, so sadly the fish tacos fundraiser came to an end. With no fundraisers slated for the foreseeable future, Fish for Teeth will use reserve funds to pay for the bulk of the San Juan Island commitment of the county-wide program in 2022.

While we are no longer fundraising with fish tacos, Fish for Teeth is still in the tooth-fixing game. With no grant funding in 2023 (pilot program was 2021-2022), the cost of bringing the van to Friday Harbor for 16 days in 2023 will be over $35,000. Through the remainder of 2022 Fish for Teeth will work on creative ways to keep the tooth-fixing happening on San Juan Island, well into the future.

Fish for Teeth has always been an organization committed to independence from government assistance and red tape, and is focused on finding the most sensible and efficient solution for islanders who cannot afford dental care. It’s expensive to live on these islands, and we believe Islanders shouldn’t have to decide between paying rent or living with a toothache. Our priority is to provide service without an income parameter, and we will only support programs that meet that qualification.

Fish for Teeth has always been hands-on and resourceful in creating programs that work towards our mission. We will stick to that model in all of our endeavors.

*Countywide grant from the North Sound Accountable Communities of Health (ACH) Oral Health Local Impact Network (LIN), which is funded by Arcora. Other contributors to this program are Medical Teams International, Orcas Island Community Foundation, and the Lopez Island Family Resource Center.