By Mark Wineka
mark.wineka@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — Habitat for Humanity of Rowan County plans to serve more than 5,000 Port-A-Pit barbecue chicken dinners Tuesday at the Salisbury Civic Center as part of its ministry dedicated to the elimination of substandard housing.

Since 1990, the Rowan Habitat for Humanity has built 109 houses, and three are currently under construction.

“All of this is about that,” Executive Director Coleman Emerson said, watching an army of volunteers at the Civic Center this morning making slaw, sorting breads and cakes, setting up tables and erecting tents to get ready for Tuesday’s big crowds.

“That (the houses) is the end result of all of this effort.”

The $8 Port-A-Pit Chicken barbecue chicken dinners will be sold from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. at the Civic Center. People can dine in at the Civic Center or carry out. Two drive-through lines will be available. Free delivery is offered to places ordering 10 or more meals.

Tickets are available Tuesday at the door or in the drive-through lines. They also have been sold in advance at local churches and at Habitat’s ReStore.

Each $8 meal includes a half chicken, slaw, roll, potato salad and dessert. For the free delivery of 10-plus meals, contact volunteer coordinator Jane Hartness at 704-642-6292, extension 101.

As usual, volunteer Joy Gerock of Trading Ford Baptist Church was overseeing the many volunteers working this morning to prepare for Tuesday’s big day. She has been involved with the barbecue chicken fundraisers since they started about 25 years ago.

“She’s a ball of fire,” Emerson said.

How did the role of captain, ramrod and chief over the 200 some volunteers involved fall to Gerock?

“I guess cause I stuck with it,” she said.

Providing a lot of help this morning was a group from Path of Hope Inc. in Lexington, a substance abuse residential treatment facility and halfway house.

For more about the preparation for Habitat’s chicken dinner fundraiser, see Tuesday’s edition of the Post.

Contact Mark Wineka at 704-797-4263.