Goal Set at $100-Million to Help in Desperate Time of Need
As devastation from BP’s massive oil gusher deep in the Gulf of Mexico spreads along the southern coast, stories of hardship, despair and struggle emerge daily. Thousands of people are out of work, there has been at least one suicide among fishermen and stress from the situation grows. Americans across the country are asking, “How can I help?”
Chef John Folse shows chefs Rick Moonen (l) and Susur Lee (r) around Barataria Bay which has been damaged by oil from the BP spill.
“We’ve heard from people around the country, inquiring about a trusted and meaningful way to make donations that will help Gulf fishermen,” says Ewell Smith of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board (LSPMB). Smith has the answer – the Friends of the Fishermen Fund (FOF).
FOF is officially sanctioned by the Louisiana Seafood Board and has been created as a way to help Louisiana’s fishermen in their greatest time of need.
“The goal is $100 million dollars,” Smith professes, ‘to put in prospective how big this challenge is and how the need is great.”
“The Friends of the Fishermen Fund will has complete transparency and is tax deductible,” adds Smith.
Donations for the Friends of the Fishermen Fund are collected, managed and distributed by the the South Central Planning & Development Commission in Houma, La., which distributed funds in a similar support effort following 2005′s Hurricane Katrina.
Fishermen who have valid fishing trip tickets – the legal documentation of commercial fishermen from 2009 and pre-April 20th, 2010 – will be eligible for financial assistance from the fund.
Chef Rick Tramonto from Chicago receives a customized paint job from artist Michael Isreal at launch of the Friends of the Fishermen fund drive.
Abita Brewing Company, the New Orleans Hornets, Rouses Supermarkets, a host of chefs and restauranteurs from around the country and celebrity/performance artist Michael Israel have partnered with the Friends of the Fishermen Fund to raise awareness and money.
The New Orleans-based electric power utility Entergy also agreed to partner with FOF to ensure that if any of the money goes utility bill payment assistance it will directly pay the electric and or gas bills of fishermen’s families.
“The people on the Gulf coast are our neighbors, friends and families,” said Steven Scheurich, vice president of customer service for Entergy Louisiana, LLC. “That’s why we’re going to work with the Friends of the Fishermen Fund to ensure help goes to those who need it most.”
Entergy will ensure that money goes directly to paying the electric and gas bills of fishermen’s families.
To donate to the Friends of the Fishermen Fund, click on the banner here or visit the website at www.friendsofthefishermen.org.
Category: News
