Potholes Bass Club donates $8,000 to local food banks
CASEY MCCARTHY | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 years, 7 months AGO
Casey McCarthy/The Sun Tribune The water and shores of Potholes Reservoir will remain empty through at least May 4, with recreational fishing closed to the public.
The waters of Potholes Reservoir remain boat-free amid the closure of state-operated waters and boat ramps, while the trails and lands of the Columbia Basin Wildlife Refuge aside them lie empty as well.
Casey McCarthy/The Sun Tribune
MOSES LAKE — The Potholes Bass Club, or PBC, decided to make an $8,000 donation to food banks around the Basin in an attempt to help during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Club secretary Roxanne Jerentowski said they’re hoping that other people and other groups will see their donation and might follow in their footsteps. Jerentowski’s husband and longtime club president, Tom Twede, came up with the idea in light of the Potholes Open bass tournament being canceled this year.
“Our bass club is the oldest bass club in the state, continuous running bass club,” Jerentowski said. “The Potholes Open is invitation only, and it’s a big deal in the world of bass fishing. And it’s been going on since the ’70s.”
Jerentowski said the Open is where the non-profit club makes all of its money for charitable donations for the year. The PBC has typically donated $1,000 to the Moses Lake Food Bank each year.
“We’re about fishing tournaments and that sort of thing in the summer, but we’re also about family and the ecology of the lake, so we save money for, good works, I guess you could say,” Jerentowski said.
PBC President Paul Harmon distributed the checks to the food banks around the Columbia Basin. $2,500 each was donated to the food banks in Moses Lake and Ephrata, while $1,500 was given to the food bank in Quincy and the emergency pantry in Warden.
Feelings about the restrictions put on recreational fishing and boating have been mixed with PBC members, Jerentowski said. Older club members are trying to follow the rules, while some younger members feel they’re capable of being careful and believe their rights are being infringed upon, Jerentowski said.
The PBC secretary said many club members live right on the lake and could easily put their boats out on the water. Jerentowski said; in order to set a good example, they aren’t.
“We understand that we can put our boats in the water and be completely alone, but there’s also everyone that’s congregating in the boat slips, the docks, the parks, and everywhere else,” Jerentowski said.
The PBC members haven’t let losing their biggest event of the year stop them from reaching out to help the community. Jerentowski said their only hope in getting the word out is that other organizations and groups will follow quickly behind.
