Thousands turn out for Knights of Columbus fish fry

By ALEXANDER POPP alex@appenmedia.com

DUNWOODY, Ga. — If you’re in the mood for a plate of fried fish so good you’ll thank your lucky stars that friers and fish exist, All Saints Catholic Church in Dunwoody has you covered.

For more than two decades, All Saints Church, its Knights of Columbus chapter and an army of volunteers have supported charity groups throughout the region, funded through proceeds from fried cod, shrimp, salmon and unbeatable clam chowder.

Tom Simon, a Dunwoody resident and event organizer, said the fish fry begins each year on Ash Wednesday and lasts for six Fridays in February and March. But it isn’t just All Saints Church patrons who turn out. Each night they feed nearly 1,200 people of all different backgrounds, religions and origins.

“That goes through the entire community, not just Dunwoody, but the entire metropolitan area,” Simon said. “We've actually had people from Australia, Hawaii, Seattle, New York. You name it.”

“It's a social event for Dunwoody,” said BJ Van Gundy, another event organizer.

Simon and Van Gundy said the church typically raises roughly $30,000 in charitable contributions from the fish fry for groups they believe in, like the Special Olympics, the Boy Scouts and ICare, the volunteer ride service for seniors.

“We do it because we have a bunch of charities that we provide funds to that they can continue their good works,” Simon said.

But all that food and funding doesn’t happen without a lot of help and hard work. Van Gundy said each