CREST HAVEN – Cape May County Freeholders unanimously passed a resolution Nov. 27 to support a new pilot program called “The United States Gleaning Program.” It would allow fishermen to utilize discarded and wasted seafood by gleaning.
According to a release, it is estimated that around 20 percent of the entire United States fisheries catch each year is discarded, and that utilizing a portion of the total discarded seafood that is wasted would make a significant impact on hunger nationwide.
Those resources could be used at food banks, pantries, and soup kitchens.
“We in Cape May County are proud to support this initiative,” stated Freeholder Director Gerald Thornton. “The fishing industry is so important to our economy, and at the end of the day this can help people who are in real need.”
More than 1 million New Jersey residents and around 375,000 children suffer from food insecurity. The number shoots up to 49 million people and 16 million children nationwide.
“We are supportive of any new ideas that will help business and those in need,” stated Freeholder Vice-Director Leonard Desiderio. “This program has been proposed as a pilot program in the state, but we believe it could be implemented state-wide.”
There is legislation pending in the Senate and Assembly that would support the proposed gleaning program in New Jersey.
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