Local Brunswick restaurant helps family after tragic loss

OCEAN ISLE, NC (WWAY)– In the weekend of having faith, one restaurant gives back hope to a family that lost so much.

Barbecue, sweet treats and raffle prizes brought crowds together over Easter weekend at Pirate’s Deck on Oak Island Drive, where a community fundraiser was held to support the Presnell family after a devastating house fire.

The event drew a steady stream of people eager to donate, bid in a silent auction and show support for a family they may not have known personally.

“I could have never anticipated this — what Pirate’s Deck has done here today, and everybody who has donated either services or items to the silent auction,” said Daphne Cartrette, sister of Dustin Presnell. “It has restored my faith in humanity to see this community come out for people they don’t know.”

The fundraiser comes weeks after a March house fire on Grist Creek Wynd that claimed the lives of Dustin Presnell and Jessica Clarke’s two youngest children — 3-year-old Paisley and 1-year-old Landon — and destroyed the family’s home.

Presnell and his oldest daughter, Letty Moore, suffered third-degree burns and were treated at the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center at UNC Chapel Hill. Clarke was not injured.

Despite the tragedy, the family made a public appearance at the Easter weekend event — a moment relatives described as a miraculous miracle given the severity of their injuries.

“Their healing has been nothing short of miraculous,” Cartrette said. “Doctors anticipated it was going to be a minimum of two months. My brother was discharged before even the two-week marker, and Letty didn’t even make it to the four-week marker. They have been doing very well.”

Cartrette said Letty has made significant progress in recovery and is working with an occupational therapist.

At the event, the family could be seen spending time together and interacting with supporters, surrounded by a community rallying behind them.

Samantha Pruitt, co-owner of Pirate’s Deck and one of the event organizers, said she felt compelled to act as soon as she heard about the fire. All proceeds from the fundraiser will go directly to the family, she said.

“I have two children as well, two very young children, and whenever I saw this story, it was absolutely heartbreaking,” Pruitt said. “It was hard not to cry, even if you don’t know this family.”

Looking ahead, Cartrette said the family hopes to rebuild a home in the coming months. She also plans to honor Paisley and Landon by launching a charitable foundation to help other families facing similar tragedies.

“We are going to be opening up the P and L Foundation charity in honor of Paisley and Landon,” she said. “Our goal is not only to help them, but also families who have been shaken up by losing a home in a house fire. I want to help the next person.”

A GoFundMe page has been created to support the Presnell family. It has raised over 66,000 dollars in donations.