By JONATHAN ROWE

Washington Daily News

CHOCOWINITY — Residents of Twin Lakes Campground are hosting a day of fun, food and entertainment Saturday to raise money for those whose homes were damaged or destroyed by the April 25 tornadoes.

The event will feature a pig pickin’ from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., a live Eli Craig Band performance from 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. and other activities.

Amy Schulz, co-chair of the event, along with Peggy Mooring and Charity Goff, said the campground was already set to host its Open House, a customer-appreciation event, so residents decided to shift gears and make the open house into a fundraiser.

 “We are doing this on our own so we can help people in the local community,” Schulz said.

Schulz said area businesses have been happy to donate food and supplies. Pepsi and Coke have promised to fill coolers with ice and drinks, Food Pride of Chocowinity has donated one of six pigs that will be cooked for the event, Sheetz in Washington has donated 15 cases of bottled water and other businesses have donated, including Washington Crab and Oyster Company, King Chicken, Food Lion, Bojangles, Leggett’s, Andy’s, Wal-Mart and Harris Teeter.

“Not one business that we have gone to and asked for donations has turned us down,” Schulz said. “We were blessed to not have been hit by the tornadoes because for some reason it turned right before us, but some of our neighbors were not as fortunate, so we want to do what we can to help them out.”

Schulz said organizers are asking for $5 donations to help raise money for the victims. The money raised will be donated to those residents in the area that have suffered severe loss. Currently two families will receive some of the benefits, but Schulz projects that Saturday’s turnout and donations will increase the number of people the fundraiser will benefit.

Twin Lakes RV Resort is located at 1618 Memory Lane, Chocowinity.