September 9, 2021 — September is Hunger Action Month, so WPRI 12 and our parent company Nexstar are helping to raise awareness.
Sometimes good can come out of bad. For instance, a new fish distribution program developed during the first few months of the pandemic helps both fishermen and those who need food.
The fishing fleet in Point Judith lost a lot of business due to COVID-19 as restaurants closed or had limited hours. Data from the Commercial Fisheries Center of Rhode Island (CFCRI) shows a 30% loss in revenue from 2019 to 2020.
To help, CFCRI secured funding to buy fish from the fishermen. That money came mostly from an anonymous donor.
“Community partners — seven of them across the state — stepped forward and said, ‘we have hundreds and hundreds of people that need food, need meals,’” said CFCRI executive director Fred Mattera.
So a seafood distribution program was born in August 2020 and it continues to this day, supporting fishermen and people who need what they catch.