CARRSVILLE—In day five without electricity thanks to Hurricane Irene, Mary Perkerson and her neighbors along Pruden Road in Carrsville are preventing their food from spoiling.

They’re cooking and sharing it with each other.

“We have get-togethers and make food that’s been defrosting in our freezers,” Perkerson said. “We cook most of it in the yard.”

Many residents in Carrsville were still without power as of Wednesday following the hurricane that skirted the Virginia coastline Saturday.

Volunteers led by former Isle of Wight County Supervisor and resident Phillip Bradshaw and others started passing out water and snacks Sunday.

“We’ve done this before,” Bradshaw said. “This has happened during other storms and it’s a community effort.”

By Monday, volunteers, with the help of the American Red Cross, had set up in the town’s community center and were serving hot meals and passing out cases of water.

The volunteers served about 100 meals on Monday, 200 at lunch and dinner Tuesday and expected as many or more on Wednesday, said volunteer Lorrie Gaskins.

“Dinner is our busiest time,” Gaskins said. “We are running out within 30 minutes.”

A church in Hampton donated the food while 100 cases of water came from Christian Outreach in Smithfield and 40 cases of water came from the Red Cross.

Carrsville Scouts Tyler Whitley, Jacob Bradshaw and Gerald Perkins have been delivering meals.

Alden Echols of Stephens Drive drove to the Community Center Wednesday to help.

“We have other folks that need the help,” Echols said as he offered to deliver meals to shut-ins and the elderly. “I don’t need a free meal.”

Echols’ family on Wednesday was without power and using a generator to power the refrigerator, freezer, some lights, and occasionally the television and DVD player for Red Box movies.

“We’re doing a camp-out and using a charcoal grill,” Echols said.

Conditions along Stephens Drive aren’t as bad as after Hurricane Isabel in 2003, when the area went 11 days without power.

“We’re making do,” Echols said. “Nobody’s in the yard yelling yet.”

Colosse, Holly Run and Beaver Dam roads were without power Wednesday, Bradshaw said. In addition residents of Carrsville are still being asked to boil water for drinking and cooking.