The goal is a new substation at Long Acre on N.C. Highway 32, about six miles north of Acre Station. What’s going to get Pinetown Volunteer Fire Department to that goal is food — and lots of it.

Saturday, Pinetown VFD will host its twice-a-year barbecue fundraiser and serve up approximately 1,500 plates to those lining up outside the station. The fundraiser is a tradition, in which squad members spend the night before overseeing pigs cooked over charcoal; the next morning, half chickens find their way to grill. Along with the barbecue and chicken come potatoes, slaw and hush puppies, all prepared by the same people who also volunteer their time responding to emergencies in Pinetown.

“We want people to come on early and come hungry,” said Pinetown Fire Chief Fred Tetterton.

It’s good advice: though sales start at 11 a.m., plates often sell out. The department has become so well known for its stellar barbecue that they hosted a pig-pickin’ class at Beaufort County Community College earlier this year to show people how to make barbecue the right way.

All of it is for a good cause — increasing coverage for the northern part of Pinetown’s district, a response area that extends up into Washington County, according to Tetterton.

He said the new substation building on its own will cost about $100,000.

“By the time we get the doors in and get it quipped, we’re looking at probably $150,000 to 175,000,” Tetterton said. “We hope to start breaking ground in June on the new building, and hopefully have it completed by the end of the year. The first phase is the building, concrete and doors — the bare essentials. Next year, we’re hoping to add a storage room and kitchen.”

To that end, Saturday’s barbecue will assist. Barbecue, chicken or a combination of both, along with the fixin’s, will be sold for a suggested $8 donation. Pinetown VFD’s Ladies Auxiliary also will be hosting a corresponding bake sale.

Pinetown Volunteer Fire Department is located at 7262 N. Boyd Road in Pinetown. For more information, call the fire department at 252-927-3400.