Phillip Potenziano is superintendent of Brunswick schools.
The Brunswick School Department has a fish story to share, but it’s not about the one that got away. Instead, it’s about a partnership with the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association that brings locally-caught fish to the plates of our students.
Here’s how it works: During the pandemic, fishermen experienced a decline in sales primarily due to shrinking orders from local restaurants. Often, freshly-caught fish went unsold or was sold as lobster bait at a low price. This meant our state’s hard-working fishermen were at risk of not earning enough to feed their families.
To help remedy this situation, the MCFA developed a program called Fishermen Feeding Mainers, which uses funding from individual donations, grants from foundations and partner organizations, and federal funding allocated through the Department of Marine Resources to purchase the surplus fish and donate it to organizations such as schools and food banks to help feed Mainers experiencing food insecurity.
“We were hearing horror stories about food insecurity spiking in our state,” says Ben Martens, executive director of the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association. In addition to facilitating the distribution of fish, the MCFA works with schools to create recipes and train staff on proper handling and storage, since fresh fish has a longer shelf life than products they may have used previously.
The Brunswick School Department typically buys between 40 and 100 pounds of fish each month, depending upon availability. Past selections have included haddock, hake, monkfish, pollock and dabs.
The school department schedules a pickup time in Portland and soon the fish is on its way to the kitchens in our schools, where it appears on our menu once or twice a month. Lunch entrees have included baked fish, fish nuggets, fish and chips, fish tacos and fish chowder. And as you may know, lunch is provided free for all students in Maine public schools.
“We try to offer local items whenever possible,” says Scott Smith, director of facilities, grounds, and food service for the Brunswick School Department. “On a regular basis, we offer local produce, and from time to time, we serve local beef and sausage from Bissons’ farm.”
The USDA touts the benefits of eating fish. It’s an excellent source of protein and studies have shown it contributes to good heart health. Serving Maine-caught fish is an added benefit.
“It’s a great program – the schools can get free local fish, it supports Maine fishermen and the kids can try something they’ve never had before that’s really good for them,” says Kirsten Tenney, partnerships and policy coordinator for Full Plates Full Potential, an organization dedicated to ending childhood food insecurity in Maine. Co-founded by Justin Alfond, former president of the Maine Senate, Full Plates Full Potential strives to maximize access to USDA Child Nutrition Programs and lead the charge to provide free school meals to all kids.
The impact on local fishermen and Portland’s working waterfront has been significant, according to Martens. “A fisherman told me this is the most impactful project he’s seen in the last 20 years.” It has brought back stability in the groundfish industry, provided a measure of financial relief for fishermen and helped reduce their stress and anxiety. And perhaps more importantly, Martens says there has been an increase in the number of local fishermen.
The Fishermen Feeding Mainers program is truly a win for all involved. It helps one of our state’s oldest and most important industries while providing our students with a healthy, protein-rich meal.
And that’s no fish story.
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