David Delancey has always been passionate about community. Whether it’s instilling that spirit in the
staff who work for him at The Lobster Trap in Bourne, or creating it for the thousands of customers who
pass through his restaurant’s doors on an annual basis, he wants people to feel the same type of
connection to a place that has been such a huge part of his life since he started working there when he
was a junior at Westfield State College in 1998.
“Being a small business on the Cape, you feel like you’re a big part of the community,” he said. “I feel
like we get so much support from the local residents and our local community. I never dreamed in a
million years I’d be living life the way I am so it’s important for me to give back and help others.”
It’s a lesson that was imparted to him by his grandfather John Walsh who Delancey called the “greatest
hero in my life.”
Walsh, who was a Marine paratrooper in World War II and who served in the Navy during the Korean
War, taught his grandson the importance of helping others. “Even when he didn’t have two nickels to
rub together, he was always giving back and active in the American Legion,” Delancey said. “He always
did a big veterans’ dinner at Christmas time where they’d bus in hundreds of homeless veterans and
feed them. When I was in high school, in college, and even out of college I always went down there and
helped him cook those dinners and pass out gifts.”
Today, Delaney is honoring his grandfather, who is buried in Massachusetts National Cemetery, through
the work he does at The Lobster Trap. Prior to the pandemic, the popular eatery hosted an annual
Oyster Bash in the fall, raising funds for HIT.
In 2019, when The Lobster Trap celebrated its 50th anniversary, it held a party, raising over $6,000 to
strengthen our programs. And during the entire month of November in 2020, it donated $1 to HIT from
every brunch item sold and then matched that amount.
Last year, it signed on as a Ruck Sponsor for the Not Your Ordinary Ruck4HIT Challenge Weekend. And
this year, The Lobster Trap increased its giving, becoming a Community Partner to help ensure our
organization has the year-round support it needs to not only deliver its programs, but take meaningful
steps in its growth.
Through this generosity, Delancey is showing his gratitude for the individuals, like his grandfather, who
sacrifice so much for our country. “I have tremendous respect for our military,” he said. “It’s something I
feel strongly and passionately about and where my heart is. And it’s where we can put some of our
energy into.”
Delancey, whose brother Daniel is the executive chef at The Lobster Trap, is grateful for the opportunity
be in a position to help veterans and military families in our region. “I feel really strongly about what
Heroes In Transition is doing. It’s easy for me to write a check, but the organization does all the hard
work,” he said. “These last two years have been shaky for everybody, and we want to show HIT that
we’re here for all the veterans on Cape Cod. And we’ll do our part to help out wherever we can.”
If you’re a business interested in learning more about joining The Lobster Trap and Cape Cod 5 as a Community Partner, email Jill Blanchard at jill@heroesintransition.org. To learn more about The Lobster Trap, visit their website here.
