OCEAN CITY, Md. - Ocean City's annual White Marlin Open has brought in over 30,000 pounds of donated fish in the last 15 years.
Anglers have the option to donate their fish to the Maryland Food Bank. The fish is then prepared to serve people in the community, the turn around time is about 24 hours.
Craig Pyle owns Catch n Carry which prepares the fish to be distributed to the Maryland Food Bank and other food ministries. He is a full time firefighter and takes off for three months in the summer to help with prepare fish donated from the White Marlin Open tournament.
Pyle said the whole process is a group effort. "It's awesome that we can help people," shared Pyle. "We're helping people that just want a hassle free donation to the people that have no ability to get this type of food. Being able to do that makes our business feel like it's coming full circle."
He extended thanks to the White Marlin Open staff, the anglers that donate, the Motsko family which founded and direct the tournament and Tom Dvorak, LLC who sponsors Catch n Carry.
Pyle says the full operation at Catch n Carry wouldn't be possible without the help of those mentioned.
Once the fish is cut, it is placed inside of a shock freezer. The shock freezer quickly freezes the fish and helps to preserve it longer. Rather than having the fish stored for up to two months in a refrigerator at home, the shock freezer allows the fish to be safely stored for over a year and a half.
Once the fresh fish is prepared, it is distributed to numerous food pantries, such as as Son'Spot Ministries which has been active in Ocean City for 44 years.
Gary Steger works at the food ministry and says they provide breakfast on Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, and dinner on Thursday evenings every week. The fish is an extra protein that helps them feed 150 to 200 people.
The food ministry serves food to international students and people experiencing homelessness and food insecurity. The team is up at 6 a.m. to begin preparing the 100 pounds of fish they received.
"It's a blessing to get that fish because I have no idea what you would pay for fresh fish these days. To be able to give the international students and the low income people a meal of fresh fish is pretty special."
Steger told CoastTV that the fish is a blessing and that blessing lasts well beyond one meal. He shared the story of one man from Mongolia who returned for services after he was provided a meal.
"We gave him the gospel of John and he read that all summer long. He would underline scriptures and come in and ask questions about it," said Steger. "At the end of the summer he was ready to receive Jesus into his heart. We baptized him a week or two later before he went back to his country.
The White Marlin Open began Monday, August 5 and is underway until Friday, August 9.