As increasing gas prices and other costs put a strain on Monterey County families, an initiative by Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust is ensuring that food pantries in the region continue to have access to a sustainable source of protein.
On May 6, as part of their Community Seafood Program, 200 pounds of sable fish caught over the last few weeks in the Monterey Bay was delivered to Nancy’s Project, a food relief organization that supplies food and other necessities to farming communities across the county.
Emily Hess of the Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust said the program is part of a broader community seafood initiative.
“We raise money to purchase fish from local fishermen, which lifts up the local fisheries economy,” Hess said. “A big part of the program is getting local fish onto local plates. We donate the fish to food relief organizations, so it reaches those who need it most.”
For Nancy’s Project, the new partnership is a win-win. The same inflationary pressures that are hitting local households are impacting the amount of food the nonprofit can purchase.
In addition to redistributing surplus food from grocery stores like Safeway and Trader Joe’s, Nancy’s Project purchases much of the food it provides. Last year alone, the nonprofit purchased 260,000 pounds of food, said Mike Hays, executive director of Nancy’s Project.
“The amount of money to buy high quality protein has just shrunk—thankfully we did well with MC Gives last year,” Hays said. The fact that the Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust delivers directly to site is a bonus, said Hays as Nancy’s Project has just one van with limited space.
“We run into capacity issues because our van can only hold so much food,” Hays said.
On Wednesday, William Deyerle, a fisherman with Sea Harvest, one of the businesses Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust purchases seafood from, made the delivery of sable fish to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, a Nancy’s Project distribution partner that has operated a food pantry since 2000.
Deyerle said the sable fish was caught by hook and line at depths of 1,800 to 3,000 feet out of Moss Landing, then processed into 2-pound vacuum packs and boxed at no cost. They also sell it to the Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust at a discounted price.
“It is a lot cheaper than we normally sell it,” said Deyerle, who has delivered fish to other food relief partners such as Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula. “We love to get it out there to the community.”
The sable fish, he added, is one of the healthiest fish there is with a high amount of protein.
“It’s delicious and you can use it for anything—fish and chips, grilled fish tacos—it’s firm and has a really good flavor,” Deyerle said.
In addition to the sable fish, Wednesday’s food distribution at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church included fresh produce, tortillas, infant formula, tinned food, rice and other pantry staples.
Maria Mesquita, coordinator for the church’s food pantry said they have been partnering with Nancy’s Project for the past two to three years for the weekly Wednesday food distribution, which serves up to 110 families. They also hold a distribution with the Food Bank for Monterey County the last Sunday of the month.
Food is also shared with seniors at the San Jerardo Co-Op off Old Stage Road, she said.
“That’s a community where we have a lot of elderly that are not able to drive,” Mesquita said. “We take the food to a specific location at the co-op, and they’ll send their caregiver or relative.”
Nancy’s Project is the seventh food relief organization the Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust is working with this year.
Other Monterey County food relief partners include Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula, Al & Friends, and Food Bank for Monterey County.
Seafood business partners in addition to Sea Harvest include Lusamerica, Ocean2Table, and Real Good Fish.
Hess said with inflation and cuts to federal nutrition programs, the program, which has donated about 135,000 seafood meals since its founding in 2020, is even more important today.
“Access to sustainable protein is even harder for these organizations so our ability to support them in this way is important and we’re really grateful to have another outlet to be able to do that in Salinas,” Hess said.
(the story has been updated to fix a typo)
This article originally appeared on Salinas Californian: Monterey Bay program donates local fish to food relief organizations
Reporting by Roseann Cattani, Salinas Californian / Salinas Californian
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
