GREENSBURG, Pa. — Fish fry’s are a huge fundraiser for local fire departments, but this year, some are being forced to cancel because of supply issues and rising costs.
“It’s our biggest fundraiser of the year,” Lee Spear, president of Norvelt Fire Department, said. “We have a pretty good reputation for the fish fry that we do, and we didn’t want to substitute any products that would jeopardize the quality or anything like that.”
Local fire departments would typically be prepping and planning for the Lenten fish fry season, but this year, supply chain issues are putting it on hold.
“A lot of supply chain issues, cost increases, staffing not only with all that involved but our own personnel; COVID is still going around and still people (are) affected,” Spear said.
Norvelt Fire Department typically has a line wrapped around the building on Friday, pumping out hundreds of pounds of fish a night.
“We do anywhere between 800-1000 pounds a fish every week and we need to make sure we can count on that amount week in and week out, not only fish but styrofoam boxes. It’s not just the fish or buns,” Spear said.
It’s the first time in decades Manor Volunteer Fire Department was forced to cancel, as well.
“Our vendors can’t guarantee us fish, on a week-to-week basis, and they also couldn’t guarantee pricing because it’s fluctuating week-to-week,” Manor VFD First Assistant Chief Brandon Stepanik said.
It’s a big blow for these local departments who are trying to persevere through the pandemic and come up with other fundraisers like online raffles and ticket drawings to make up for such huge losses.
“On a typical fish fry, what we have for the potential making out of the ticket is just going to help absorb some of the costs, it’s not going to make up for a good fish fry year for us,” Spear said.
“(We) depend on that fundraising, and it’s just not happening,” Stepanik said.
You can check out Norvelt and Manor’s Facebook pages and websites for more information on their raffles and drawings.
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