On June 5th, Place of Hope hosted the 5th Annual Fish for Hope KDW Tournament at the Sailfish Marina in Palm Beach Shores to donate fish to the Boca Helping Hands Soup Kitchen.
Place of Hope is a non-profit organization based in Palm Beach County that focuses on providing programs to end the cycles of abuse, neglect, homelessness and human trafficking. Since its inception, Place of Hope has served over 16,000 children, youth and families in need.
The 5th annual tournament began at 6:30 a.m. with each fishing boat casting their lines for a chance to catch the heaviest fish. Three different types of fish were eligible to win prizes: dolphin, wahoo and kingfish. For nearly nine hours, anglers casted their lines, caught and weighed fish.
The top catches were dolphin and kingfish. Anglers also weighed other varieties such as tuna. The categories were divided into first, second and third places for dolphin, wahoo and kingfish.
For the dolphin, the heaviest fish was 11.9 pounds caught by Lauren King. The heaviest fish overall was a kingfish weighing 27.5 pounds caught by Chad Noel. After weighing each fish, anglers could choose to donate their fish to the Boca Helping Hands Soup Kitchen.
Anglers that donated placed their fish into an ice chest for Marine Education Initiative volunteers to cut. The Marine Education Initiative is a non-profit organization that provides education, hunger and disaster relief services for those in need. So far, the Marine Education Initiative has provided over 4,200 meals.
The volunteers for the Marine Education Initiative estimates that sixty pounds of fish will be donated and delivered to the Boca Helping Hands Soup Kitchen. The fish will be cooked and served during meal hours at Boca Helping Hands.
The 5th Annual Fish for Hope Tournament is set to make a lasting impact throughout Palm Beach County and beyond.