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 Jersey’s fishing industry.

Approximately one in nine people in New Jersey face food insecurity. To help address this, Community Offshore Wind donated 4,080 pounds of porgy (scup) and 3,600 cans of clam chowder from seafood processors like Lund’s Fisheries Inc. in Cape May, NJ and other regional suppliers to Replenish Food Bank in East Brunswick, Fulfill in Neptune, Lunch Break and the Vin Gopal Civic Association in Tinton Falls, and Grace Pointe Seventh Day Adventist Church’s Food Pantry in Montclair, NJ.

In line with Community Offshore Wind’s commitment to supporting local New Jersey businesses, they purchased the donated porgy and clam chowder, both of which are Marine Stewardship Council-certified from New Jersey-based suppliers. Porgy is one of the most plentiful and sustainably-harvested species found along the East Coast and the clam chowder uses Atlantic surf clams harvested primarily by fishing vessels from New Jersey. 

These donations were part of Community Offshore Wind’s broader seafood donation program, which also provided over 800 pounds of fish and 1,400 cans of clam chowder to families in New York. Last summer, Community Offshore Wind donated more than 60,000 meals of fresh, local seafood to ten New Jersey hunger relief organizations in partnership with the Mend Hunger Relief Network and local fisheries.   

"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 Jersey’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 Jersey families most in need.”

“New Jersey’s commercial fishing industry plays a major role in the state’s local economy, contributing over $1 billion each year,” said Deirdre Boelke, Fisheries Manager of Community Offshore Wind. “Our team is committed to building strong partnerships with fishing businesses and this initiative is an example of how Community Offshore Wind is identifying ways we can bring benefits to local communities, including the fishing industry.” 

“We are so thankful for the seafood donation from Community Offshore Wind,” said Jennifer Apostol, Executive Director of Replenish. “It’s a top priority here at Replenish to get nutritious, local, and fresh food to our neighbors in need. The pan-ready porgies and clam chowder were a delicious and protein packed way to do so.” 

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.