Every fall and spring it’s the same: a sell-out event at Pinetown Volunteer Fire Department and EMS. Saturday’s dinner is likely to be the same.

It’s a typical eastern North Carolina menu — grilled chicken and barbecue, potatoes, slaw and hushpuppies — but Pinetown’s dinner, in its 15^th year, always draws a crowd.

“We offer them a good meal and we don’t set a price, I think it’s a good amount on the plate and it’s a good quality food, as well,” said Pinetown Fire Chief Fred Tetterton.

To pull off a fundraiser like this takes a lot of chicken — 850 half chickens, exactly—and a lot of barbecue — 11 pigs-worth. What that equates to is 1,400 plates and over 500 people, many of whom live outside the Pinetown VFD/EMS district, showing up to get them.

“You got some locals folks from right here in the community, and we got folks coming from Washington, Belhaven Pantego — all over Beaufort county, really.

It’s not just a community event. I’d say it’s a Beaufort County event,” Tetterton said.

“It gives (people) a good excuse to support the fire department and EMS too.”

All money raised during the spring fundraiser is spent on the building that houses the two departments. It goes to insurance, bills, fuel for trucks, phone service and any other expense occupation might incur. While the Pinetown Fire Department receives county funds — $27,000 for the Pinetown station and $25,000 for the Longacre substation — and Pinetown EMS receives $60,000, the fundraiser gives both squads a little flexibility in finances.

“What we’re getting from our county is not enough to operate then upgrade too. We have to do these fundraisers to expand what we’re doing,” Tetterton said.

To that end, volunteers with the fire department and EMS also volunteer their time manning the grills overnight, chopping barbecue, stirring potatoes and frying thousands hushpuppies in a commercial-sized fryer. One of the highlights of the fundraiser is the dessert table, which is a separate fundraiser for the same cause. More volunteers in the Pinetown community bake an array of desserts then donate them to be sold: layered chocolate cakes, lemon bars, pecan pies and many more.

“We got a bunch of good cooks around Pinetown, I’ll tell you,” Tetterton laughed.

Saturday’s fundraiser starts at 11 a.m. and will go until the food runs out — which it will, Tetterton said.

“Just like we always say, ‘Come early and come hungry,’” Tetterton said.

Pinetown Volunteer Fire Department and EMS are located at 7262 N. Boyd Road, Pinetown. Suggested donation for each plate is $7.