Third Annual Week of Seafood Giving - with Double the Impact
By Emily Hess, June 4, 2025
The Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust’s Community Seafood Program (CSP) aims to feed our communities while uplifting local fishermen and seafood businesses. It’s a win-win initiative and we are excited to replicate this success during our third annual Week of Seafood Giving, thanks to a passionate donor who will match every gift up to $5,000! Running June 9th - 15th, the online campaign is a special opportunity to have an even larger community impact by providing double the funding for seafood purchases.
Representatives of MBFT and Lusamerica Foods distributing donated seafood with Second Harvest Food Bank in Santa Cruz county
The CSP launched in late 2020 in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, when fishermen lost most of their markets and filled up all their cold storage capacity. At the same time, the demand from regional food banks to help feed the community soared. By purchasing seafood from the local fleet and donating it directly to community food relief efforts, we strengthened the local fisheries economy while supporting families in need. It’s a good idea that has expanded ever since.
Fast forward to 2025, and the CSP has purchased nearly 27,000 lbs of seafood and donated almost 72,000 meals to food relief partners including Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula, the Food Bank of Monterey County, Second Harvest Food Bank, Al & Friends, Pajaro Valley Loaves and Fishes, and Big Sur Big Share. The growth trajectory of the program over the years has been impressive as well, jumping from 5,333 meals donated in 2022 to 15,328 meals in 2023, and over 24,000 meals last year! Our four supply partners source mainly from local fishermen (sometimes up or down the coast if needed, but always in California).
By keeping local fish on local plates, the CSP provides our most vulnerable community members with access to the freshest seafood available—along with all the nutritional benefits it offers. Species like rockfish, sablefish (black cod), grenadier, and other locally caught fish featured in the program are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins D and B, selenium, and lean protein—essential nutrients for building and repairing tissues. Unlike most food relief programs that rely on frozen, heavily processed seafood (like fish sticks) as their primary source of ocean protein, this initiative offers a rare opportunity to deliver fresh, sustainably harvested nutrition directly from our local waters.
Seafood meal from donated fish prepared at Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula
In addition to growing the local supply chain, the CSP has also highlighted a lesser known but healthy and delicious local species, Pacific Grenadier. Caught incidentally alongside blackcod (sablefish) in deep water, Grenadier is a white, flaky, and versatile fish to cook with, truly a hidden gem of the bay. Because it is not in high demand, it is more affordable. Through the CSP, we are able to purchase thousands of pounds of grenadier each year, improving the profitability of a small fleet out of Moss Landing. It is also an opportunity to introduce grenadier to the local community, either prepared in dishes at the Meals on Wheels kitchen, or available at Second Harvest Food Bank distribution sites (complete with information pamphlets and recipe ideas).
As a Week of Seafood Giving supporter, you can help sustain local families and fisheries!
This year, we can maximize our impact, with gift matching up to $5000, generously provided by a program supporter. All donations made to the campaign from June 9th-15th will go directly to the CSP, and if we meet our goal of raising at least $5,000, all gifts will be matched, totaling at least 6,000 additiona
l meals to our regional food banks!
Your donation puts nutritious local fish on the plates of low-income families, seniors, veterans, the disabled, and the unhoused in our community.
Every $25 = 15 seafood meals
$50 = 30 meals
and $100 = 60 meals
Give any amount between June 9th and June 15th during the Week of Seafood Giving and your donation is DOUBLED!
Follow us on all the socials (@mbfishtrust), and sign up for our newsletter to receive an email alert when the campaign goes live on June 9th.
Together, we can ensure equitable community access to healthy, sustainable, local seafood!