It’s time for peeling and eating once again at the 36th annual Junior Auxiliary of Brookhaven Peel ’Em and Eat ’Em Shrimp Dinner.

From 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19, boiled shrimp plates can be picked up in a drive-thru or walk-in at the Lincoln Civic Center. Each $15 plate comes with shrimp, potato salad, corn on the cob, crackers and cocktail sauce. A Sweet Shoppe Bake Sale will also be available.

More than 70 local businesses have helped sponsor this year’s fundraising event. Proceeds will help fund JA service projects throughout the year, benefiting the children of Brookhaven and Lincoln County. The shrimp dinner is JA’s only fundraising event. 

JA provides endowments for scholarships for students, and a special education teacher. The auxiliary also sponsors Wish Tree to provide clothing and toys during Christmas for families who may not be able to buy gifts for their children. Child Welfare provides personal support and attention for children, and allows them to form supporting relationships with JA members.

A community assistance project helps stock emergency clothes closets, and assist families in time of great need. Crown Club works with 10th and 11th-grade girls, partnering them to volunteer with JA.

Another program, Special Focus, provides fun and interactive activities for children with disabilities and their families.

JA also sponsors Reality World each spring for ninth graders, teaching them how to do real-world things like balance a bank statement or apply for a job.

Brookhaven Junior Auxiliary, founded in 1954, is part of Region 5.