A local agency is gearing up for its annual chicken dinner fundraiser, benefitting area families who are expecting babies and those families who are new to parenthood.

Coastal Pregnancy Center, a faith-based, nonprofit organization that provides services and programs for area babies and their parents, will host its 5^th annual chicken dinner plate sale April 30, with pickup scheduled for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. This year, the meal will be cooked by Belhaven Missionary Baptist Church. Tickets are $8, and free delivery is offered for orders of 10 or more.

The materials for the meal will be provided by various churches, organizations and people in the community, said Susie Rollins, executive director of the center. The center has asked those in the community wishing to contribute to help out by making brownies as dessert for the chicken plates. It also needs volunteers to drive deliveries to those who purchase plates, as well as volunteers to help prepare the plates, Rollins said.

Due to last year’s fundraiser, the center was able to serve over 450 clients and held over 700 individual parenting class appointments. The center has also become a limited medical facility, providing ultrasound services for pregnant teens. It partners with other agencies in the area like DSS, Beaufort County Health Department, Washington Pediatrics and others to host programs and other services. The center also offers a variety of services, including classes that teach infant child CPR, free pregnancy tests, parenting classes, ultrasounds, baby sign language and much more, Rollins said.

“This could not have been possible without the help and support of our wonderful community,” Rollins said. “We are the pro-life people. We do so much more than what people think. The most pro-life thing to do is to assist a young family here in the community and help them understand how to calm their baby down. We want to send these kids home equipped to take care of a baby. We’re really teaching fertility education in the community, and it’s very powerful. What we do is important. We love our babies.”

Rollins said the center isn’t only for babies and mothers, however. The organization focuses on the family as a whole, and aids in helping the fathers involved to embrace the pregnancies and become productive components of the family.

“We’re very daddy friendly,” Rollins said. “In our opinion, we are saving families one baby at a time. We don’t just look at a girl and see a baby. We recognize it’s a whole family that will be impacted by this pregnancy. That’s how we embrace it.”

To volunteer, contribute or for more information, contact Coastal Pregnancy Center, located at 1312 John Small Ave., Washington, at 252-946-8040.