SeaShare, the Bainbridge Island based non-profit that provides high quality seafood to food banks all over the country, is responding to the disasters spawned by hurricanes Harvey and Irma by delivering thousands of pounds of Pollock portions and salmon steaks to a food bank in Houston, Texas.
“We have sent seafood to the Houston food bank before, but never on this scale, Kate Tomkins, development director for SeaShare, said on Sept. 11
The two truckloads from SeaShare that arrived in Houston included 30,000 pounds of Pollock portions and 36,000 pounds of salmon steaks,” Tomkins said. “Each pound is about four servings.”
The salmon was donated by Unisea, Inc. and the Pollock by Trident Seafoods.
And we just received another 180,000 pounds from an East Coast donor, said Jim Harmon, executive director of SeaShare. “Some of it will probably go to Harvey and/or Irma victims, and the rest will be used to backfill food banks who are sending food down there.
“This reminds me of the work we did after Katrina, in 2005,” he said. “SeaShare sent 525,000 pounds (of seafood) to Louisiana and Texas in response to that disaster.”
Meanwhile SeaShare has put out an appeal to harvesters, processors and others seeking more seafood, help in processing and monetary donations to keep feeding families affected by these devastating hurricanes.,
“We have freight, cold storage, and food bank partners lined-up and ready to receive your donations,” SeaShare said in an appeal on its website, www.seashare.org
“Call or email us with your pledge, 206-0842-3609/jhatmon@seashare.org
The more than 250 donor and partner entities range from harvesters, processors, importers, distributors and community development quota entities to transportation and cold storage companies, seafood industry suppliers, the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak, the Rasmusson Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and National Fisheries Institute.
