Saving Seafood

Good works: Program is helping RI farmers, fishermen and the hungry

November 25, 2020 — Bad times bring out good ideas.

The Rhode Island Food Policy Council – in its work with Hope’s Harvest RI, Commercial Fisheries Center of Rhode Island and the Rhode Island Community Food Bank – is bringing food to those who need it and supporting Rhode Island farmers and fishermen at the same time.

This important work has just begun and there are many teams out there working to expand it and build on some work already done.

One problem is that farmers and fishermen have lost their valuable restaurant and institutional business, including colleges and corporate dining services, since the pandemic began in March.

The second problem is that food insecurity is soaring. Unemployment from the shutdown means more people in need of help. Food pantries across the state have reported they are working hard to keep up with the demand.

Demand is up 45% from a year ago this time, said Nessa Richman, Network Director of the Food Policy Council.

Read the full story at The Providence Journal

Rhode Island Seafood Industry Comes Together To Launch Food Assistance Program

July 8, 2020 — The following was released by Eating with the Ecosystem:

The Commercial Fisheries Center of Rhode Island, Eating with the Ecosystem, and the Rhode Island Food Policy Council are joining together to launch a new series of online cooking classes, “Cook a Fish, Give a Fish!” These online classes not only raise eaters’ seafood game through small-group seafood tutorials led by local chefs; they also raise funds to deliver local seafood to families experiencing hunger.

The new program comes as the coronavirus era presents a number of challenges — as well as some promising learning opportunities — for fishermen, chefs, seafood businesses, and eaters.

“In general, most Americans are not very comfortable cooking seafood at home,” said Kate Masury, program director at the non-profit Eating with the Ecosystem. “The majority of seafood we consume in the US, about 70%, is actually consumed in restaurants. With restaurants having to limit their operations in order to maintain social distancing, that means the market for our locally caught seafood is also severely limited, which impacts our local fishermen and seafood businesses.”

“Our new online cooking classes will inspire local consumers to expand their repertoire and explore new recipes with family and friends in their own homes,” added Fred Mattera, Executive Director of the Commercial Fisheries Center. “Even more importantly, the classes will generate funds to process fish donated by the fishing industry and provide this fish to families in need.”

With the nation’s unemployment rate surpassing 11 percent, demand for food pantry services has surged. The organization Feeding America estimates that one in six Americans will experience food insecurity this year. Each ticket to a “Give a Fish, Cook a Fish!” class will purchase ten seafood meals for Rhode Island families who can’t afford to buy fish this summer.

Here’s how it works: Each weekly class session is led by a different local chef. The chef sends out a recipe and participants source all of the ingredients themselves, including the fish (organizers can provide advice on where to look). Typically, classes will center around whole fish, rather than processed fish. When class day arrives, participants connect on a video chat. Then, in kitchens across the Ocean State, they socialize, learn about local fisheries, and turn whole fish into delicious homemade meals for their families to enjoy.

How to sign up: To sign up for a “Cook a Fish, Give a Fish!” class, go to (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/112145084968). Tickets cost $75/household and all proceeds after expenses will be used to share fish to families in need.

Rhode Island Food Systems Rally in Time of Crisis

March 26, 2020 — Food systems are complex networks that connect everyone: the wealthy, the poor, restaurants, grocery stores, fishermen, and farmers.

“Food is a fundamental need that everyone has to have access to,” said Eva Agudelo, founder of Pawtucket, R.I.-based Hope’s Harvest, a service that collects the leftover produce from local farmers’ fields and donates it to food banks. “And in an emergency, like coronavirus, making sure that people have food is essential.”

Cue the empty shelves and the panic-induced food hoarding. Heck, cue my packed freezer.

“I ordered food from a grocery store to be delivered, and I selected one kind of mushroom, and I was brought a different kind,” said Nessa Richman, network director of the Rhode Island Food Policy Council. “I assume this was because the kind I wanted was out of stock. Meanwhile, maybe I could’ve ordered local mushrooms of the exact sort I wanted from Market Mobile and had them delivered to my door.”

The coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated the importance of local food systems that, unlike global and national food-supply chains, are nimbler than their large-scale counterparts, and can adapt quickly to disasters.

Read the full story at EcoRI