CHOCOWINITY — Sunflower season is in full swing in Beaufort County, with one Chocowinity business using its bountiful crop to help the families of children fighting cancer.

Last weekend, Raised in a Barn Farm hosted the ground opening of its “U Pick Sunflowers” project with an estimated 400 folks showing up to view thousands of the bright cheery blossoms.

Proceeds from the sales of the flowers — $1 per stem if you cut them or $2 if the farm staff does the work — benefit Riley’s Army, a Greenville-based nonprofit organization that helps provide meals, gas cards and supplemental income for those battling childhood cancer, according to Mandie Boahn, whose family operates Raised in a Barn Farm.

Sales of the sunflowers will continue until the crop is depleted.

“We planted 150,000 flowers on a little over 2 acres in early May,” Boahn said.

Initially, the idea was to have the fields in full bloom for the second-annual North Carolina Sunflower Festival, held at the farm June 23-25, but weather conditions put a kink in those plans.

“By all calculations, they would have bloomed the week of the festival but a cold snap stunted their growth,” Boahn noted. “Once you’ve planted them the rest is up to God and Mother Nature.”

Now, eager customers are harvesting the sunflowers to use in decorating private parties. Brides are also planning to use the blooms for their upcoming weddings.

“Sunflowers just seem to be a popular flower,” Boahn said. “And they make a great centerpiece for any dinner table.”

For a small admission fee, customers may wind their way through paths cut through the fields and select one free flower to take home with them. Props are also provided for photo sessions. Inside the farm shop, folks can cool off with ice cream, water and watermelon by the slice.

The farm is open for business Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sometimes the farm staff decides to extend the hours, so Boahn advised customers to check the Raised in a Barn Farm Facebook page.

Raised in a Barn Farm is located on N.C. Highway 33 east of Chocowinity. For more information, call 252-945-6153.