The Lenten tradition of bountiful fish fries across the region is in jeopardy this year as many have canceled their typically fruitful fundraiser because of supply chain issues and rising costs. The fish fry faithful might have to go a little farther to find their Friday meal. For David Hauger, president of New Stanton Volunteer Fire Department, the cancellations are cause for concern. "Where are those customers going to go?” he asked, adding the department’s fry usually is at maximum production capacity for five of the seven hours it is open. The best time to order will be between 2 and 4 p.m. Fire departments and churches that have canceled pointed to increased costs for supplies, from cooking oil to takeout containers, as well as prices that have more than doubled, in some cases, for frozen fish fillets. In addition, supply chain disruptions mean they wouldn’t have an adequate, or consistent, amount of food to prepare and sell. It’s a blow to the finances of many organizations. For some, frying up fish is the biggest fundraiser of the year, generating thousands of dollars. Some organizations start their fundraisers on Ash Wednesday — which is March 2 this year — while others get underway two days later for the first Friday of Lent. Good Friday is April 15, though some fries might end a week earlier. For those forging ahead, they’ve managed to find a way to continue the tradition. At St. Agnes Church in North Huntingdon, the increased costs will be passed along to customers, said Geralyn DeFelice, a coordinator. Like many others, they might have to contend with fluctuations during Lent that could prompt price or menu changes. "The prices are changing daily,” she said. "It’s crazy.” Organizers at Our Lady of Grace Church in Hempfield aren’t expecting to adjust the menu on the fly, but the cost of a fish dinner will be a little pricier, said Fred Francese, a coordinator. For the basic combo of fish sandwich, water and bag of chips, the price will stay the same as last year. Hauger said New Stanton also is raising its price for a fish dinner. It did taste-testing with a new food provider after the department’s usual purveyor couldn’t guarantee supplies on a week-to-week basis. Idling the fryers for Lent would mean losing out on about $20,000. "We had to find a way to have it,” Hauger said. "We have plans in the works to buy a new building, and that will be a multimillion-dollar project. So every last fish sandwich counts.” At Markle Volunteer Fire Department in Allegheny Township, organizers were looking at spending $20,000 just on fish after their regular supplier priced a box of haddock frozen filets at $83 compared with $35 last year, said Matthew Rearick, second assistant chief. Organizers are cutting back on fish size and charging more while eliminating a couple menu items. It was the only way to keep the $10,000 moneymaker afloat. "It’s not that drastic, but it is,” Rearick said. "The customers? I’m hoping they understand.” Shawn Cessna, general manager at Western Edge Seafood Outlet, said the problems stem from a lack of workers to unload container vessels, sort items and get them on trucks for distribution. The company supplies seafood to restaurants in addition to running a couple of retail locations, one of which is behind Westmoreland Mall in Hempfield. "Because there’s not enough port workers, all those things aren’t being done, and it makes a supply chain hiccup,” he said. "It’s a very complex and convoluted supply chain issue.” Increased transportation and business costs are contributing to higher prices, according to a spokeswoman from the National Fisheries Institute, a Virginia-based seafood industry trade organization. Dan Wholey, co-owner of Wholey’s in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, said it has been seeing increased costs but has been able to maintain a good supply and not pass on price increases to customers. Other departments and churches are facing down the loss of thousands with their fries canceled. That includes large events, such as the ones held by Norvelt and Claridge fire departments, and smaller ones, at Manor Volunteer Fire Department and Immaculate Conception Church in Irwin. Norvelt fire Chief Matt Zelenak said the department typically goes through 700 to 800 pounds of fish weekly — and up to 1,000 pounds on Good Friday. Canceling was a tough decision, but asking customers to pay an "exorbitant amount of money for a fish sandwich” was, too, he said. "We don’t want to cheapen anything because we have a good reputation,” he said. "I know there’s a lot of disappointed people right now.” Norvelt is selling a fundraising ticket in an effort to make up for losses from the fry. East Huntingdon Township Volunteer Fire Department is hoping supporters will attend other fundraising events to help it pay for a new $620,000 fire truck, fish fry co-chair Chief Brian Kite said. The department fish fry raked in $15,000 last year. It would have made half that or less had they gone forward with this year’s event, he said. Organizers were looking at steep cost increases for customers and themselves. They would have had to charge about $10 more for a fish dinner and the oil for the deep fryer would cost the department $20 more, Kite said. "It’s a hard decision,” he said. "It’s a huge amount of money. It’s public relations for your community … you can’t expect your community to support you on an expense like that.” Staff writers Joe Napsha and Joyce Hanz contributed. Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Renatta at 724-837-5374, rsignorini@triblive.com or via Twitter . 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