Monahans Council #10256 Donates Fish Fry Proceeds to Parish and Bazaar

Because of the pandemic, Monahans St John the Apostle and Evangelist Council #10256 made several changes in order to hold our fish fry fundraisers on Fridays during Lent, 2020. The 10-person cooking crew did their work in the St John gym. Prepared food, including fried catfish fillets (spicey and regular), hush puppies, corn on the cob, and french fries were then carried to the serving crew in the Parish Hall kitchen. Orders were taken in advance using radio and Facebook for advertising. The serving crew used a drive-through mode to serve our customers who did not get out of their cars. All went smoothly unless unexpected things happened, and then we managed.

The Council voted to give 100% of the project’s net proceeds to the Parish of St John and the annual Bazaar. Net proceeds were slightly more than $3,400, and they were divided $1,000 to the Bazaar and the remainder to the Parish. Fr. Allan Alaka (who is also a knight) commented that the $2,400 donation will certainly help to pay the parish’s utility bills during this time of reduced collections because of the pandemic and private Masses.

Our annual Bazaar is usually held in October. Former GK Hector Venegas, who is in the 10^th year of his 2-year commitment as Bazaar Chairman, has a small group of faithful Bazaar committee members who conduct fundraisers throughout the year in order to defray Bazaar expenses. In 2020, Hector appealed to parish organizations, including the knights, to each take over one of these fundraisers. The knights chose to give fish fry proceeds to the Bazaar. Hector was very grateful, and said that he knows that his brothers will also help out at other times, like on the 4^th of July.

Fish Fry Co-Chairman Jesse Ramirez thanked the council for its willingness to adapt this project to changing conditions brought on by the pandemic. The council’s generosity in donating its entire net proceeds to the parish and the parish bazaar was heartwarming. This project was like a ray of friendly sunshine in the midst of our dreary sheltering in place. The public seemed genuinely grateful to the council for the chance to get out, see some friendly faces (even if they were behind masks), and get a good meal.