AHOSKIE – There’s no better feeling than to have a belly full of tasty, eastern ‘Carolina ‘cue, listen to foot-stomping music, and be in good company, including royalty.

All three of those elements could be found in a single place here Tuesday evening where Ace Home Center of Ahoskie hosted an open house that served as a benefit for the Ahoskie Food Pantry.

Hundreds turned out for the cause, donating non-perishable food items as well as making monetary donations to the pantry. The Ahoskie Food Pantry, like many across the nation, is witnessing a two-fold problem…donations are down while the number of needy families are on the rise. Adding to this issue is the fact that the upcoming holiday season (Thanksgiving and Christmas) is the busiest of the year for food pantries.

Ahoskie Ace owner Jamie Johnson was pleased with Tuesday’s benefit.

“Everybody seemed to have a great time, but the real winner here was our local food pantry,” Johnson said. “We here at Ace want to thank those who came out for this worthwhile cause and thank everyone behind the scenes that made this event the very best.”

The “lumber yard” warehouse adjoining Ace’s main building was packed with guests. All were treated to free plates of pork barbecue, prepared on site by Trey Byrum of Ahoskie, snacks and beverages.

Adrienne Leigh Core, Miss North Carolina for 2010, greeted patrons of the event, often posing for photos and signing autographs. Colton James, an up-and-coming country music singer from Courtland, Va., repeated Core’s effort.