Feeding Rhode Islanders
Rhode Island is home to a vibrant immigrant community and a dynamic commercial fishing industry. As is the case in even conventional circumstances, immigrant communities, people of color, and low-income families disproportionately experienced food insecurity in 2020. Meanwhile, the commercial fishing industry also experienced unique challenges as a result of COVID-19. The closure or reduced flow in many of the supply chains that local seafood typically was sold through left fishermen with much-reduced market demand. These factors, combined with the fact that Rhode Island’s vibrant immigrant and Indigenous communities already knew how to take whole, unprocessed fish and shellfish and turn it into delicious meals, presented an opportunity. We established this program with support from Eating with the Ecosystem, and the Rhode Island Food Policy Council to purchase seafood that had limited markets or was being thrown away as bycatch and began distributing it free to communities in need who already hold the cultural knowledge of handling these fresh species.
While this program was originally conceived to meet emergency response needs, it has now become something bigger. The emergency food system is now evolving into a brand new market channel for the fishing community, enabling them to receive a fair price for normally underutilized species and species that would otherwise become bycatch. This new market channel increases the resiliency of Rhode Island’s fisheries community and food network. The Commercial Fisheries Center of Rhode Island began the Seafood Distribution Program in late August 2020 and since has distributed around 400,000lbs of fresh local seafood. We estimate that through this program, over 250,000 healthy meals have been provided to families for free throughout Rhode Island. This program has been successful thanks to a collaboration of many partners and supporters.
While this program was originally conceived to meet emergency response needs, it has now become something bigger. The emergency food system is now evolving into a brand new market channel for the fishing community, enabling them to receive a fair price for normally underutilized species and species that would otherwise become bycatch. This new market channel increases the resiliency of Rhode Island’s fisheries community and food network. The Commercial Fisheries Center of Rhode Island began the Seafood Distribution Program in late August 2020 and since has distributed around 400,000lbs of fresh local seafood. We estimate that through this program, over 250,000 healthy meals have been provided to families for free throughout Rhode Island. This program has been successful thanks to a collaboration of many partners and supporters.
Thank you to all of our program funders and partners for helping to make this program possible
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Program Partners:
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Program Funders:
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Our non-profit Partners!
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Rhody Feeding Rhody Alliance is calling for members!
The Alliance works with RI emergency food buyers & producers to build and grow a reliable market for sellers, and connect that food with local residents in need. Join us! There’s room for everyone at the table: http://www.rhodyfeedingrhody.org |