Longtime Saxonburg volunteer firefighter Tom Sweezy drains a basket of fried fish at the first Lenten fish fry of the season Feb. 10 at the Saxonburg Volunteer Fire Company. Nearly 500 people showed up the first week.

Rodney Scott's grocery list gets a little long this time of year.

It includes five bushels of cabbage, 500 pounds of potatoes, 60 pounds of rice and a healthy supply of tomatoes, carrots and green beans.

That all joins about 600 pounds of fish for the St. Mary of the Assumption's weekly fish fries in Herman during Lent.

“I go around to the farmers in the county,” Scott said. “I try to save some money. It's a process.”

Fish is a popular dinner this time of year because Catholics and other Christian denominations refrain from eating meat on Fridays leading up to Easter.

Many churches, fire halls and other organizations host weekly fish fries to raise money.

Scott said volunteers work around the clock to prepare for St. Mary's fish fry.

“At about 4 a.m. they get down to the school to start preparing,” he said. “They start by putting the rice in water and cardboard on the floor for grease.”

Much of the work goes into preparing the side dishes.

“ned all the grease and cleaned up the mess.”

We usually serve 1,200 to 1,300 meals per week,” he said.Finding the food for the dinners is not easy.Scott has been in charge of the event for six or seven years, but he's been involved for more than three decades.“I was usually the one sent down at 1 o'clock in the morning to grind coleslaw,” he joked of his past. “It's enjoyable. You meet a lot of nice people.”Chuck Plinta with the Knights of Columbus in Slippery Rock said the fish fries bring the community together for dinner.The organization works with the St. Peter Parish in Slippery Rock to hold the dinners in the basement of the church every Friday during Lent.“There is a unity it builds with the parish and the community,” Plinta said. “It's a nice way to get together in the middle of winter.”Plinta said the money raised from the dinners goes to the different charitable causes the Knights of Columbus is involved in.About 20 volunteers are needed to work the dinner each week.“Four or five guys show up around noon to start making the mac and cheese,” Plinta said. “We need a dozen during the dinner, then three or four guys show up after to help clean up. There's three phases to it.”Plinta said the dinners draw crowds from across the Slippery Rock community, including Slippery Rock University.“About 20 percent of the people are college students,” he said. “We're pushing to get them more in the door. We want to make sure they know where the church is.”

Plinta said they serve about 300 dinners per week. While the fried fish is popular, Plinta said the dinner caters to others.“We also serve baked fish for the health conscious,” he said. “About 25 percent of the fish we sell is baked.”While most fish fries are on Fridays, the Saxonburg Volunteer Fire Company has its on Wednesdays, starting with Ash Wednesday.Carolyn Zitzman, president of the fire company's ladies auxiliary, said the community always shows up in full support.“We had 460 people show up on Wednesday (Feb. 10),” she said. “With the weather the way it was, I was shocked.”All money raised at the dinners goes to the fire company.“A lot of people come together to help,” she said. “It's very nice.”About 30 volunteers help organize the event.“They go in at 8 a.m.,” she said. “Some don't leave until 8 p.m. by the time they've drai

While it's mostly about the fish, the side orders are just as important at St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Herman as 89-year-old Willie Widenhofer empties a basket of french fries. Volunteers like Widenhofer work around the clock to prepare for fish fries around the county.

Patty Jackman, one of the dozens of volunteers at St. Mary of the Assumption, fries the fish in cast iron pans instead of deep fryers at the church in Herman. The church gets 600 pounds of fish a week during Lent.