The Ocean City Fishing Club will welcome the public to tour its pier twice this summer in hopes of breaking records set last year for donations to the local food cupboard.
The first open house is set for Thursday, July 24, while the second will be held two weeks later on Thursday, August 7. Rain dates, if necessary for either event, will be July 25 and August 8, respectively.
The pier, located at 14th Street and the Boardwalk, will be open to the public from 6-8 p.m. both evenings. Pier visitors are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items or make cash donations when they tour the pier.
In 2024, 2,203 pier visitors brought 480 pounds of food and donated $2,243 in cash to benefit the local food agency, which exceeded totals collected previously.
“We’re glad our open houses have been so successful in collecting food for the Ocean City Food Cupboard,” said Augie Conte III, OCFC president. “We’re hoping the public will again respond generously with their donations of food and money to help those who are less fortunate.”
The OCFC food collection program began in 2013, when the fishing club celebrated its centennial anniversary. Previously, contributions were given in memory of Bob Roth, a long-time OCFC member who died in 2022 and who had a strong commitment to the Food Cupboard throughout his life.
Fishing club members will be on hand to guide visitors and answer questions about the pier and the organization. The pier extends nearly 750 feet from the Boardwalk, over the beach and the Atlantic Ocean. OCFC began a pier extension project in December 2020 to add about 113 feet to its previous length. The addition was completed in Spring 2021.
The open houses coincide with the city’s Family Night on the Boardwalk, and are part of the OCFC’s commitment to community involvement through its youth fishing tournament, scholarship program and advocacy for recreational fishing. It is the oldest continually operating fishing club in the nation.
