August 27, 2020 — Three hard-hit local communities — the fishing industry, hospitality workers, and the food insecure — have been connected by a pilot program that is providing free sustainable seafood meals to people in need.
Fish to Families is a partnership between the nonprofit San Diego Fishermen’s Working Group and chef Phillip Esteban and the team behind Open Gym, which runs Craft Meals Catering and has several upcoming projects on the docket including White Rice, a Filipino rice bowl food stall in Liberty Public Market, a culinary shop and bookstore called Wordsmith, and WellFed, a Filipino restaurant in National City.
The group, which has already been cooking and distributing thousands of meals via its OneforOne program and a through José Andrés’s World Central Kitchen, is collaborating on Fish to Families with I Love to Glean for produce and NOAA Fisheries and California Sea Grant, which are providing educational materials.
More than 2,400 meals have been distributed so far through the Third Avenue Charitable Organization, through homeless outreach programs and other services for seniors and families including Barrio Logan’s Good Neighbor Project, Downtown Senior Centers Luther Tower, and Olivewood Gardens.