Lighthouse Point Youth Help Address Local Food Insecurity

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By Richard Rosser

[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”12513″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text]In 2014, then Boca Raton high-schoolers Harrison Konsker and Maccabee Herman created Fillet for Friends (FFF), Fillet For Friends, a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to reduce hunger and empower marginalized communities by working with local fishing and hunting communities to provide fish, education, and community resources for the under-served.  
“We grew up in Lighthouse Point; its’ always been a home for us. From learning to fish at the lighthouse point marina to collecting over 300lbs of fresh fish at the Trash Can Slam Tournament, this truly is how this journey began.   Co-founder Maccabee Herman kept his boat at the light house point marina and of course it became a home for us. Starting fillet for friends within this community couldn’t have been better—the people are so caring, loving, and selfless that it was a perfect place to start and grow the organization. As we grew to collecting fish at tournaments, the LHP marina staff worked with us side by side to ensure we collected and donated as much fish as possible”.
Harrison Konsker – Co-Founder[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”12514″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text]The young anglers and philanthropists, who are now university students,have taken their organization to the next level. Fresh fish, especially fresh fish caught a couple of miles off the coast in areas such as Lighthouse Point, Deerfield Beach and Pompano Beach, is an extremely rare type of donation for food banks to receive. Since its inception, Fillet for Friends has donated thousands of pounds of fish to South Florida food banks and has made a tremendous impact this holiday season. REVISION 

“With 3.3 million people in Florida suffering food insecurity and 265,000 utilizing food banks and soup kitchens in South Florida alone, we are proud to partner with local food banks throughout the Tri-County area,” said Harrison Konsker, Co-Founder Fillet For Friends. “With a growing population and lingering financial effects from COVID-19, food insecurity will increase within the next three years.”

Feeding South Florida recently awarded Fillet For Friends a grant for which to augment their efforts and continue to feed families in need.  
“FFF has been feeding South Florida communities through a variety of methods,” said Maccabee Herman, Co-Founder Fillet For Friends. “Most popularly, we attend fishing tournaments across Florida to collect surplus fresh fish. A majority of our donations come from this process to help to reduce waste and fill the plates of the hungry.” The organization has also developed a network of volunteers comprised of high school students with several chapters across Florida to expedite the delivery of their catch.
Aside from tournament donations, FFF makes it effortless for individual anglers across Florida to donate their fish. Fishermen are able to contact FFF through a variety of outlets including emails, texts, and through the contact page on the website. After reaching out, the angler’s fish will then be picked up at convenience, filleted, packaged, and delivered to a local food bank of choice.  Please join us by reaching out if you have extra fish or want to become a part of our team!

For more Lighthouse Point news and things to do in Lighthouse Point read Lighthouse Point! magazine and search our website. 

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