Friends Serving Others hosts their annual fish fries during Lent

Friends Serving Others will hold its annual fish fries during Lent on Feb. 16 and 23 and March 1, 8, 15 and 22 at Dover Memorial Hall, 410 N. Wooster Ave., Dover. The meals will be served from 5-7 p.m. The cost is $15 for all you can eat, $10 for a three-piece fish meal, and $5 for kids age 10 and under.

Friends Serving Others held its first fish fry in 2012 during Lent. Friends were raising money to go to Ukraine on a mission trip. At that time they were associated with several local women who were doing missionary work at an orphanage in the Crimea area. The group raised enough that year to pay for the trip for 12 members to serve in Ukraine for almost two weeks.

While they were there, they served in the girls orphanage and met and worked with other missionaries also serving in different missions in that area. The members of the group saw a need in the area and formed friendships with some of the Ukrainians they worked with while they were there.

In 2013 the friends from several different churches felt called to return to Ukraine and again served up fish to help pay for the trip. Once again they returned to the Crimea area and worked in the girls orphanage and in a nearby village where they removed a dirt roof from a root cellar and dug a ditch for a water pipe. They strengthened their friendships with those they had met the previous year.

In 2014 the Crimea area was taken over by Russia, and the girls orphanage was closed. So the group did not return to Ukraine.

Those who supported the fish fries began asking if they would continue. The group of friends decided to continue to serve up the fish under the new name Friends Serving Others. The group has served fish each year except 2020 because of the pandemic.

Since they have not been going on mission trips as a group, they have found many other projects to support with their funds including youth mission trips, local family assistance, Hammer & Nails, Dress-A-Child, Share-A-Christmas, Sole Purpose, Jehovah Jireh Orphanage Project and other needs as they become known.