It was an assembly line of near perfection on a windy Wednesday, April 8 in the parking lot of Food Lion in Elizabethtown. The final product benefits an organization committed to improving the lives of children.
The semiannual Bladen County Shrine Club fish fry raises money in support of Shriners Children’s hospitals, which offer pediatric specialty care.
“They do miracles with the crippled children,” said Phillip Little, who is the chairman for the fish fry.
Wednesday’s assembly line began with the fileted whiting going from box to breading table to fryer, then onto Styrofoam plates. Sweet potato fries, slaw and hushpuppies were added as the plates slid down the line. Finally, the plates, along with a cup of sweet tea, if desired, went to hungry customers, who paid $12 per plate for a delicious meal and to support a worthy cause.
“We cannot do it without the community,” Little said. “The community is very supportive of our efforts with the fish fry. I’ve been doing this for 30 to 40 years now and we have had exceptional community support.”
Members of the Bladen County Shrine Club, volunteers and cadets from Tarheel Challenge Academy arrived early Wednesday morning to prepare. By 11 a.m., the breaded whiting was coming out of the fryer, placed onto the plates and headed down the line.
Meanwhile, a line of cars were winding around the parking lot in the drive-thru lane while other folks were lined up at a nearby table placing orders.
“I need 14 plates!” a volunteer shouted.
“I need a plate with no slaw and double fries,” another volunteer said.
“Make sure you put the (plastic) silverware in the plate and put a rubber band around it,” an assembly worker reminded those at the end of the line.
So it went until all the fish had been boxed and sold.
Then, it was time to think about the next fish fry in October.
Shriners Children’s has 22 locations. Most are in the United States, but there is a hospital in Montreal, Canada and Mexico City, Mexico. The closest location to Bladen County is in Greenville, South Carolina.
Shriners Children’s opened its first hospital in Shreveport, Louisiana in 1922. Today, Shriners Children’s offers care for a range of orthopedic, craniofacial, spine, spinal cord, and sports medicine conditions and injuries; as well as care for burns and burn related conditions.
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