Fishermen help feed homebound

  Hatteras fishermen are donating fish to help feed homebound Hatteras Island residents every week. Since late June, local fishermen have provided fish for the Friday lunches delivered to clients of Hatteras Meals, Inc.

  Hatteras Meals currently provides daily lunches for 35 Hatteras residents who are homebound, convalescing from surgery or dealing with extenuating medical conditions. The program is a local adaptation of the national Meals on Wheels program but does not receive funding from the national organization and relies on local and county support.

  Hatteras Connection, a community-based development project, pulled together commercial fishermen and other volunteers to organize the fish donation project.

  Jim Lyons of Buxton volunteered to clean, pack and deliver the fish on Friday mornings for preparation by Ediht Byrd. Jeff Aiken, owner of Jeffrey’s Seafood in Hatteras, offered use of his cold storage facility, and Gary Weigel, manager of Jeffrey’s Seafood, is overseeing the collection of fish from commercial fishermen.

  Lyons said the fish donation project has gotten off to a good start, with fishermen developing an informal network for the rotation of donations among the fleet. He also said lunches featuring local fish are proving popular with many Hatteras Meals clients.

  Hatteras Connection is dedicated to sustainable economic development and enivonmental stewardship and is committed to working to ensure a future for new generations of watermen on Hatteras Island. Contact the organization at 252-995-4131 or email ridgeroad@earthlink.net.