Community crawfish boil and cook-off at Climb CDC

With crawfish season in full swing, what better way to raise money for a good cause than a community crawfish boil? The Climb CDC of Gulfport hosted their first boil and cook-off to help raise money for their organization.

You first grab the head then you grab the tail and then twist and pull: that’s how you properly peel a crawfish. Jourdan Hartshorn with Climb CDC said, “Who can’t go wrong with some crawfish. People love crawfish on the Coast so why not sell crawfish, make a little money and in return use the money to benefit the community that we’re doing this boil for.”

Climb CDC is an organization that provides workforce training, housing and financial training to members of the community who need guidance which is why they’re hosting their inaugural community crawfish boil and cook-off. “The funds here will help benefit at-risk youth, 16 to 26-year-olds who just need a second chance.”

Climb has played a key role in not only the Gulfport community, but the Coast as a whole, mentoring thousands over the years. “We’re here and we want to give them an education even if it’s a high school diploma or GED. We want to get them job training so when they leave our training they can go straight into the workforce.”

Gulfport resident Irene Magee said, “I’m a former educator myself and I used to teach the tough cases when I taught in the Gulfport School District so I admire what they’re doing.”

The Gulfport Fire Department and Climb CDC got started bright and early cooking their batches of crawfish before the big afternoon cook-off. The competing teams were vying for first place and the bragging rights of being named the cook-off’s inaugural champions.