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Fish. Food. Feel Good. (F3G) a San Diego 501(c)3 non-profit whose program and benefits are unlike any other, has one simple goal: collect fish from sport fishermen and distribute this nutritious product to local charities who serve it to Americans in need - whether that need originates from being elderly, homeless, jobless, a military veteran, etc. 2010 was F3G's first year in operation collecting donated fish including: Albacore, Yellowfin, Bluefin, Wahoo, Dorado, and Yellowtail which was then distributed for free to local charities. One such charity, Father Joe's Villages of San Diego, receives whole fish which are filleted by full-time residents and students participating in Father Joe's Culinary Arts Program. This 6-month onsite program teaches homeless residents a marketable skill offering graduates an opportunity to become financially independent. Students learn to not only fillet these fish but to cook and serve them to over 4000+ homeless that dine at the facility every day. Other charities currently benefitting from F3G donations include: the San Diego Rescue Mission, the San Diego Food Bank, Samoa Independent and the Greater San Diego Meals-on-Wheels. Todd Bluechel explains why he created F3G: "I've been fishing these waters for over 30 years and there comes a time when you have to stop complaining and take action. I saw Robert Redford's film: "Lions for Lambs" and it reminded me that if one wants to have a full life, a meaningful life, each and every one of us must dedicate selfless time to the improvement of others, towards the greater good. I've created an easy way for fishermen and boat crews to convert fish into nutritious meals for Americans in need. It was important to create a simple program - a program people will want to use and want to replicate in their own home town, a program that can in fact be replicated anywhere sport fishermen catch fish!" Mr. Bluechel has been funding F3G himself offering charities whole fish for free but F3G does rely on generous mutually beneficial partnerships including San Diego's newest fish processing facility Fisherman's Processing that collects, freezes, and stores the fish. As soon as the collection bin is full F3G calls whichever charity is next in line to collect the bounty and everyone feels good! Cognizant solid waste landfills are filling up too fast Mr. Bluechel has even taken this process one step further by partnering with crab and lobster fisherman. Fish carcasses are stored in barrels and frozen; when the barrels are full the lobster/crab fishermen pick up the barrels and exchange them with empty barrels. All this food/organic left-over is returned to the sea as bait for traps that additionally feeds small fish and other critters. In August 2013 F3G is having its second fundraiser in hopes of funding not only F3G locally but F3G’s nationwide expansion. Enthusiastic requests from fishermen in other states have emailed F3G excited about the possibility of replicating F3G in their hometown. Accepting this challenge F3G hopes to one day feed 1 million Americans nationwide annually! Details about the 1.5 day limited load fishing fundraiser aboard a luxurious fishing vessel “Shogun” can be found by (CLICKING HERE) or on the F3G home page. Should you not be interested in the fishing trip but you like to become a sponsor of the fundraiser event or F3G directly please contact Mr. Bluechel – contact information can be found on the contact page. An effortless way to support F3G financially is by donating directly to PayPal using the link on the F3G home or by (CLICKING HERE). Lastly it would be great if you could “like us” on the F3G Facebook page (CLICK HERE). |