Communities Come Together to Donate Fresh Seafood to Families in Need

Top photo courtesy of Sea Grant California

We’re celebrating National Seafood Month with stories of fishermen, chefs, processors and purveyors providing free, wild-caught seafood to families and communities hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic. Seafood programs lending a helping hand are happening across the country, and during the month of October we are highlighting a few of these efforts.

Celebrate National Seafood Month: Fish to Families, San Diego, CA

Responding to food challenges in San Diego, California, The San Diego Fishermen’s Working Group and Chef Phillip Esteban have teamed up to create Fish to Families. This meal-distribution project purchases responsibly harvested fish from local fishermen and prepares and distributes healthy, sustainable seafood meals to people in need.

The San Diego Foundation provided funding for the program, and California Sea Grant and NOAA Fisheries have also supported this project by creating educational materials about the sustainable seafood products provided by the local commercial fishing community.

In an article on the California Sea Grant’s blog, third-generation San Diego fisherman, Kris Honings, said, “I’m grateful to be part of something that gives back to the community and that’s allowed us to keep working during the pandemic to continue providing for our families.”