LOCAL

Oysters from SouthCoast growers help food banks in New Bedford and Fall River

Anastasia E. Lennon
Standard-Times

NEW BEDFORD — The line for the St. Anthony of Padua Food Pantry stretched down Nye Street as patrons came out with bags full of vegetables, fruit, canned goods and — on this particular Thursday — pints of frozen, shucked oysters from local growers.

This year, the Massachusetts Aquaculture Association continued a program started by the Woods Hole Sea Grant program and Cape Cod Cooperative Extension, which donated over 1,700 pints of oysters to the Greater Boston Food Bank last year. Through grant funding, the organizations were able to purchase oysters and donate them to local food banks, not only helping people in need of food, but also aiding oyster growers in need of revenue. 

The aquaculture association received funding late last year to purchase even more oysters from Massachusetts growers, which they did with continued support from the Cape Cod organizations.

Luis Sicajau stacks the containers with oysters onto a table at the St. Anthony of Padua food pantry in New Bedford, before they are handed out.

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Scott Soares, consulting coordinator for the association, said about 116 pints went to St. Anthony and 60 went to the Veteran's Association in Fall River on Thursday. Some of the oysters came from farms in Westport and Fairhaven, and were processed in Rhode Island. 

He said in the short-term, this program is a way to move oysters, but in the long-term, it might present an opportunity for people to more regularly consume oysters in a different way (and not just on the half shell at restaurants). 

Robert Araujo, a food bank patron from Dartmouth, said he planned to fry his oysters and have them with tartar sauce.

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Maria Vieira, another patron from New Bedford, said she planned to cook them in a stew with potatoes, onions and some spices. 

Toph Jusseaume, owner of Spindrift Oysters in Westport, was one of the participating growers. His farm is about three acres, and he said his sales are down about 80% to 90%. 

He said he wondered "plenty of times" last year whether he would be able to keep going, and that it will remain a question in his mind until restaurants (and diners) return to full capacity. 

Through the program, the association purchased about 3,000 of his oysters, he said, which helped a bit for the full-time business owner with two employees. 

"It's great. It adds a bit of positivity to what's been a very difficult year. I'm more than happy to do this again for many reasons," Jusseaume, 44, said. 

"I think it's great," said Stacie Hallal, the church's food bank coordinator. "It's a nice protein for the patrons and it's different." She added they've only had oysters once before. 

The United Way of Greater New Bedford volunteered its services to help transport and deliver the oysters to the food bank. 

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"It's about feeding people, but it's also about creating jobs," said Victoria Grasela, vice president of community engagement of the local United Way.

Seth Garfield, president of the Massachusetts Aquaculture Association and a grower in Cuttyhunk, said the grant funding has helped so many growers and that they would "absolutely" do it again if they can obtain more grant funds. 

"The other very nice thing is the fact that these local oysters are actually ending up in local food banks or soup kitchens," Garfield said. "It's probably not a normal food source but I think there are a lot of creative people out there that are excited with the product."