Next Wednesday, the Seattle seafood community will provide 250 seafood meals to homeless and unemployed people at the Millionair Club in downtown Seattle.
A team of volunteers, including Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.), will serve lunch that includes fish donated by Trident Seafoods through the efforts of the At-Sea Processors Association's Community Catch Program.
"APA and its member company Trident Seafoods are honored to support the Millionair Club's extraordinary efforts to provide essential services to those in need in the community," says Stephanie Madsen, APA executive director . "We hope this event sponsored by local fishing companies will remind our neighbors of the critical need in these hard economic times to support local hunger relief programs."
APA's six member fishing companies established Community Catch nearly eight years ago to support hunger-relief efforts. The companies, all based in western Washington, harvest seafood from the sustainable and well-managed Alaska pollock fishery - the largest fishery in the United States and one of the largest in the world.
Each year, these companies collaborate with local nonprofit SeaShare to donate 250,000 pounds of fish - 1 million seafood meals - to local and national food assistance programs. The donated Alaska pollock being served at the Millionair Club is high-quality seafood that otherwise would have been sold in the marketplace.
"The Seattle-based fishing industry has been very fortunate to have strong, sustainable fish stocks in Alaska and the North Pacific and we're happy to be able to partner with SeaShare and the Millionair Club to put some great seafood on the table and help our neighbors in need," adds Trident spokesman John van Amerongen.
The Millionair Club serves hot, nourishing meals twice a day, averaging more than 10,000 meals each month. On Wednesday, Millionair Club clients will enjoy a lunch of stuffed Alaska pollock, vegetable garden medley soup, mashed potatoes, salad, bread and beverages.
"We are very thankful to APA for providing this delicious and nutritious meal. This year we have seen almost a 30 percent increase in requests for our services, both meals and day labor and a drop in the number of jobs available," says Millionair Club's Deborah Crawley. "A special meal like this is really something that the working homeless can look forward to in a year that is proving to be one of the most difficult that we have seen in years. APA is making a difference in the lives of the working homeless."
