The Overflow teaches men to fish

Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day. Next Saturday, The Overflow is teaching men to fish. That way, they can eat for a lifetime.

The Overflow, a Morganton-based nonprofit organization, invites boys and young men, ages 11-18, to join them in a free Fishing Foundations workshop on Saturday, Feb. 28. The event will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Bass Pro Shop in Concord. Transportation from and to The Overflow, as well as lunch, will be provided.

The workshop aims to equip individuals with the basics of fishing, teaching participants about different ecosystems, species, and types of equipment setups.

Overflow Founder and President Jared Harbison said there isn’t a cutoff for potential attendees to sign up, “If you can get your kids (to The Overflow), they can go.”

Interested students RSVP at myoverflow.org/event-details/fishing-foundations-a-bass-pro-experience.

The organization plans to host another Fishing Foundations workshop on March 14 at Broughton Pond, continuing their learning through practice, instruction, and stewardship.

THE OVERFLOW

Harbison officially launched the nonprofit in 2024 and built the organization up through 2025, securing funding, site preps, and partnerships that allowed the organization to offer a variety of programs to middle and high school aged boys looking for mentorship and direction.

Fishing Foundations comes on the heels of Seeds of Purpose, a house and garden workshop where participants prepared soil, started seeds, and built plant beds to tend over the next few months, with follow-up workshops in June and July.

The workshops stem from The Overflow’s mentoring model, Inward-Outward-Upward, which spans identity, the development of skills, and how the two intertwine with community throughout a man’s life.

The Overflow boils down to three main focus points — farming and gardening, trades and skills, and experiencing the outdoors.

“When you’re making any type of changes in your life, or you’re developing character, one small decision can be a catalyst for something great,” Harbison said. “With anything that you do, you have to tend and nurture it, so we also want to incorporate that throughout the workshops this year.”

THE FOUNDER

Harbison, a Morganton native, lost his father to heart disease at the age of 11. His father’s memory and the knowledge he provided before he passed served as the guiding light for the nonprofit.

“When I lost him, there was a void,” Harbison said. “I’m out here exploring, trying to find my path. I’m in search of something — I’m in search of that mentorship; I’m in search of that guidance. What is it that I don’t know that I don’t know?”

Harbison settled into Morganton’s community and outdoors, just as his father had, finding peace in the city’s reputation as “Nature’s Playground.”

A few years later, he decided to show his appreciation for his grandmother because of her willingness to “exhibit love in all facets, whether it’s through kind words, whether it’s through acts of service, whether it’s through a hug — she’s literally the embodiment of love, and she’s not a lady that’s big on materialistic things.”

Harbison chose an act of service: starting a garden.

“Lo and behold, just getting out there and doing the best that I could, God really opened up the door for harvest,” Harbison said. “We were able to feed 12 different sets of families from this little garden.”

Drawing from these two influences and the experiences he garnered with them; the idea of The Overflow found its roots.

THE ORGANIZATION GOING FORWARD

The Overflow isn’t only looking for participants, but is actively opening their doors for male mentors and members of the community to step in.

Optimal mentors would be individuals and career professionals in their trade or field, or even just men interested in bringing their sons.

“You don’t have to be Michael Jordan to come volunteer,” the founder said. “I believe that everyone has a gift, and I believe that everyone has a set of skills that they uniquely have. I think finding ways to maximize that, in terms of impact, is really what The Overflow is looking to do in terms of mentorship and those volunteers.”

The Overflow plans to offer more workshops throughout the remainder of the year, including basic auto care, hunting, and woodworking. A full schedule can be found at myoverflow.org/events.