A COMMUNITY EFFORT: Pinetown VFD Chief Fred Tetterton preps barbecue for plates at a past fundraiser. The department’s biggest fundraiser of the year starts at 11 a.m. Saturday and will go until the food runs out.

Chicken, barbecue, a multitude of homemade desserts — that’s what’s in store for those who take a drive to Pinetown, take a turn onto North Boyd Road and pull up at the fire/rescue station Saturday.

It’s the Pinetown Volunteer Fire Department’s fall dinner, where anyone is welcome to stick some cash into the donation jar, pull up a seat at a table and chow down. It’s the department’s biggest fundraiser of the year, helping them gross nearly $10,000 at last year’s fall event. It’s also a lot of work by a lot of people that goes into providing nearly 1,400 plates of food.

It really takes a community, according to Jeanea Boyd, president of the Pinetown VFD Auxiliary.

While the members of the department, and from Sidney Dive Team, are called upon to man the grills, the women of the auxiliary are up to their elbows in barbecue, chicken and fixings loading up plates in shifts on the day of the event; in flour and sugar in the days preceding.

Boyd said calls go out weeks in advance as the auxiliary prepares for the biannual fundraiser: local women are asked to donate cookies, pies, cakes, brownies — anything that will satisfy a sweet tooth and contribute to the pot at the end of the day. The desire to pitch in to the community cause is how Boyd got involved with the auxiliary to start.

“I knew that was a way that I could give back,” Boyd said. “They provide such a valuable service to our community. … I’m just honored to be a part of it and be able to give something back to the community.”

Based on the number of desserts present at past events, others feel the same: both of Carolyn Biggs’ sons are volunteers with the department and at each fundraiser her culinary creations are always big sellers, Boyd said.

“She makes pecan pies and she usually brings them hot — and there are lots of them,” Boyd laughed.

The 30-member all-volunteer department counts on this extended volunteerism to help it serve the community, according to longtime Pinetown volunteer and Washington EMS director Doug Bissette.

“Operating a fire department is a costly thing and the county tax money doesn’t always equal what it is to fund the department,” Bissette said. “Our department depends on these donations so we can better provide. If we have shortfalls in our budget, we depend on these to fill the gaps.”

Currently, the Pinetown department is planning to progress from light rescue certification to medium rescue, as well as lower their insurance rate — both of which involve new equipment, which will likely be purchased courtesy of 900 chicken halves and 11 pigs, huge vats of potatoes, slaw and thousands of hushpuppies.

“We’re a community that comes together to make our fire department work,” Bissette said.

Dinner will be served Saturday starting at 11 a.m. until the food runs out. Plates go for a suggested donation of $8; desserts are priced separately. Pinetown VFD is located at 7262 N. Boyd Road, Pinetown.