This fall Community Offshore Wind is partnering with local fisheries and hunger relief organizations to provide thousands of fresh, locally-sourced seafood meals to families from disadvantaged communities, helping to alleviate food insecurity while supporting New York’s fishing industry.

More than 221,000 Long Islanders face food insecurity. To address this challenge, Community Offshore Wind recently donated 300 pounds of fresh pollock fillets and 600 cans of clam chowder to Island Harvest Food Bank. They distributed an additional 240 pounds of scup and 120 cans of clam chowder to Long Beach community members in collaboration with Circulo De La Hispanidad. Both porgy and Atlantic surf clams are sustainably harvested by local fishing fleets in the Mid-Atlantic and Marine Stewardship Council-certified.

Community Offshore Wind sourced the pollock for these donations from Aqua Best Seafood Market, a New York City-based, family-owned market that sells fish and seafood sourced directly from fishermen. Aqua Best prioritizes sustainable fishing practices and supports local fishermen. 

These donations were part of Community Offshore Wind’s broader seafood donation program, which also provided over 500 pounds of fresh fish and over 700 cans of clam chowder to families in Brooklyn and over 4,000 pounds of fresh fish and 3,600 cans of clam chowder to families in New Jersey. This builds on Community Offshore Wind’s previous seafood donations in New York and New Jersey, which provided more than 90,000 fresh meals in 2022 and 2023 combined.

"Community Offshore Wind is committed to giving back to the communities our project will serve and working hand-in-hand with local fishermen to support New York’s commercial fishing industry,” said Doug Perkins, President & Project Director of Community Offshore Wind. “This initiative is an opportunity to bring these two commitments together, simultaneously benefitting fishermen and addressing food insecurity for New Yorkers most in need.”

“Commercial fishing is an important industry for New York’s long-term economic growth, and it is critical that offshore wind developers work closely with fishermen to ensure their projects share the waters off our coast effectively,” said Steven Wong, Owner of Aqua Best Seafood Market. “By working with us to purchase the fish for these donations directly from regional fishermen, Community Offshore Wind has shown that they are serious about supporting the industry and delivering clean energy in a way that will not negatively impact our marine ecosystem.” 

“We are pleased to partner with Community Offshore Wind to provide hundreds of pounds of fresh fish to people on Long Island who face the daily challenge of not having enough to eat,” said Randi Shubin Dresner, President & CEO of Island Harvest Food Bank. “The growing public health crisis of food insecurity affects more than 221,000 of our neighbors on Long Island, and this generous donation will help ensure that families get the healthy food they need while supporting our local fishing industry.”

Community Offshore Wind is committed to building relationships with local fishing communities and has developed collaborative partnerships and responsive strategies to support local fishing communities and promote coexistence between fisheries and offshore wind. Their latest proposed project includes significant funding for programs that support conservation and fisheries, and they entered into a groundbreaking Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that will transform environmental monitoring for offshore wind projects and increase transparency between researchers and developers.

Community Offshore Wind is also the first developer to join the Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCEMFIS), a National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center that funds research of shellfish and finfish resources to enhance management and awareness of the health benefits of sustainable seafood.

Since its launch in 2022, Community Offshore Wind has been an active and engaged neighbor to New York communities. The project’s other community initiatives include providing school supply kits for 500 New York students, donating more than 3,000 STEM-focused books to families in Brooklyn, cleaning up more than 1,000 pounds of garbage from the Long Island and Brooklyn waterfronts, funding field trips for more than 140 New York students to local museums, and donating 900 coats to families in need during the winter months.