UPDATE: The pig pickin’ is postponed until June 30.

Community members are gathering next week to raise support for Beaufort County’s first maternity home.

It’s part of the third-annual Pig Pickin’ for a Cause, scheduled for May 12, from 6-10 p.m. at St. Clair Ranch on Hodges Road in Washington.

The event is sponsored by Higher Heights Human Services Inc., a nonprofit that seeks to help teen moms stay in school, find health resources and prevent second pregnancies.

The pig pickin’ will feature food by Keyzer’s Catering, entertainment by DJ Jackie Haislip and live, silent and cake auctions. Tickets are $20 per person or $35 for a couple and are still on sale.

Although Higher Heights hosts the event each year, this pig pickin’ has special meaning because of the upcoming work on the maternity home, according to board chairman and organizer Christie Moler.

“We rely on the community to help provide the services,” Moler said. “This year, the pig pickin’ is even more important because we are looking to begin to renovate the maternity home.”

The organization leased the maternity home, located on Highland Drive, and a neighboring home for office space, in early 2014 from the county, and has since worked to raise funds for renovations. In October 2016, volunteers hosted a cleanup day at the maternity home, and structural renovations are now in the planning stages.

Moler said a substantial amount of money is needed for the coming stages of renovation, and that’s where this year’s pig pickin’ comes into play. Those funds also make it possible for Higher Heights workers to maintain direct, consistent contact with the teen moms — a big part of the organization’s success, according to Moler.

Pig Pickin’ for a Cause is the organization’s largest fundraiser of the year. The program currently serves 16 moms in Beaufort County, and since its inception in 2008, has only had one mom drop out of school and one with a second pregnancy.

“The maternity home is something we’re really going to be focusing on this year,” Moler said. “The community contributions make us able to provide that.”

Pig Pickin’ for a Cause will be held May 12 from 6-10 p.m. at St. Clair Ranch, 120 Hodges Road, Washington. For more information, or to purchase tickets, call Christie Moler at 252-833-9093, or email her at drchristiemoler@gmail.com.