Mount Pleasant Magazine Nov/Dec 2019

www.LowcountryCuisineMag.com | www.MountPleasantRestaurant.com | www.CharlestonRecipes.com lowcountry cuisine LC 31 “W ith my regular job as a charter boat captain, it’s basically the same thing every day,” shared Jamie Hough. “You get up and go fishing, come home, clean the boat, get up and go fishing…150 days of that in a row, and then all of a sudden, it’s hurricane season. You just don’t know what the next thing entails.” Growing up in Pawleys Island, Hough has experienced his share of hurricanes. As owner of Redfish Mafia Charters, he regularly competes in fishing tournaments along the Gulf Coast, working closely with area teammates and making connections along the way. So, when Hurricane Harvey devastated much of Texas and Louisiana in August 2017, Hough couldn’t sit by and watch. He and his wife posted a quick donation request over Facebook, then met friends and fellow givers at a restaurant in Mount Pleasant. Just a few hours in, they’d raised more than $5,000 and filled a truck with supplies. “My wife looked at me and said, ‘I think you’ve got to go to Texas.’” “This was the first instance in my life,” explained Hough, “where I realized how important it is just to get up and go, and to figure it out along the way.” Following a 24-hour drive to Lake Charles, Louisiana, Hough and friend Sally Myers wasted no time. Listening to a local dispatch, they checked call-in addresses against a map in order to get directly to those in need. Between two boats, Hough and his crew rescued 180 people in just under a week. They helped local churches serve roughly 7,000 meals and, with donated money, helped fund a new roof for a home that housed 17 orphans. Hough took in two dogs, one of whom still lives with him today. And in just the first three days, they’d raised $32,000. “The hardest part,” explained Hough, “was leaving, knowing that the job wasn’t done.” A year later, Hough assisted rescue groups during Hurricane Florence, and though he was happy to help, his previous rescue experience taught him that he and his fellow supporters could do better. In January 2019, Hough founded Southeast Rescue & Relief, a nonprofit organization committed to using 100% of donations to directly help those affected by natural disasters. “That was the whole goal when we started this,” explained Hough. “We tell people where the money’s going. We show them pictures of whatever we bought with it. We put the balance on the Facebook page.” Southeast Rescue did well from the start, but the needs of the community continued to rise. “Ninety percent of this is not the rescue part, but finding the people who have the stuff that other people need, finding the people who need the stuff you have, and then getting BY JEN GLEKAS Food for Change Serving Southern Fare with a Side of Disaster Relief Photos provided by Jamie Hough.