Visitors again set new records for donating to the local Food Cupboard at the Ocean City Fishing Club’s Open House at the Pier this past Thursday evening.
By the end of the two-hour open house, 1,183 people passed through the pier gate, brought 260 lbs of non-perishable food and gave $1,348.80 to benefit the Ocean City Food Cupboard.
“That’s the most we’ve ever collected,” said Tom Yucis, OCFC president. “It’s wonderful to see how generous people can be in supporting such a worthy cause.”
At this year’s two open houses, 2,203 visitors brought a total of 480 lbs of food and $2,243.80 to help stock the Food Cupboard shelves.
Last year, 2,112 people came to the club’s two open houses and brought 385 lbs of food and gave $1,924 to help feed the needy.
“And everyone really enjoyed walking the pier,” Yucis said. “We saw smiles everywhere the whole evening.”
Local residents Deb and Frank Perillo were first in line as people waited for the gate to open at 6 p.m.
“From where we live, we can see it all the time,” Frank said, “but we’ve never been on it. We just want to see what it’s like.”
OCFC members were on hand to help visitors take photos with the beach, Atlantic Ocean and Boardwalk as backgrounds and also to answer questions about the pier.
Ben Heere, 11, and his brother Jeff, 9, Abington, PA, were especially interested in the bait OCFC member Joel Richman had on display. Each got to examine bloodworms close up, with Jeff passing one to his brother to hold in his hand.
“It’s kind of cool,” young Jeff remarked to his brother, who was waiting his turn to hold a bloodworm.
“The kids are really curious about the bloodworms,” Richman said. “Some want to hold one, some are a bit timid but will try, and others don’t want to touch them at all.”
Good weather helped the enthusiastic crowds enjoy their visit, with pictures being taken everywhere on the pier. As they ended their tour of the pier, nearly everyone expressed thanks to OCFC members for the opportunity to visit.The club has been holding open houses on the pier to benefit the Food Cupboard since its centennial celebration in 2013.
The OCFC, a private fishing club, has a strong commitment to community involvement through programs that include the open houses, the youth fishing tournament, awarding scholarships and advocating for recreational fishing. Founded in 1913, it is the oldest, continually operating fishing club in the United States.
