PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Skamania County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue has closed its GoFundMe after an outpouring of donations from concerned community members.
On Thursday, the independent nonprofit announced it had disabled its campaign on the website after donors exceeded the fundraising goal. When KOIN 6 reported on the fundraiser on Monday afternoon, it had raised nearly $25,000. After another three days, it had nearly tripled to more than $73,000.
The rescue team said it is now “mission ready again.”
“This means we’ve restored our ability to respond quickly and effectively to emergencies, equipped with the tools and resources necessary to save lives in our community,” Skamania County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue wrote on Facebook.
The crew launched the GoFundMe after their equipment was stolen, following a days-long search for two Portland men who went missing while searching for Sasquatch in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.
According to the nonprofit, the search for the 37-year-old and 59-year-old men started around 1 a.m. on Christmas Day. Volunteers spent several days looking for them “over difficult terrain and harsh weather conditions,” but they were found dead on Dec. 28.
Officials said the Sasquatch hunters were likely unprepared for the journey, and their deaths were probably due to the weather conditions.
The Search and Rescue team said their equipment was stolen just hours after the men’s bodies were recovered. The nonprofit suspects the thieves cut through a 10-foot barbed wire fence and stole numerous items from their storage yard, as volunteers were resting.
The crew reported that the GoFundMe donations will be used to replace the stolen gear and upgrade older tools. The rescuers will also allocate some funding toward securing its headquarters to prevent further theft.
“We believe it’s important to responsibly steward the incredible generosity we’ve received, focusing on these immediate priorities while avoiding overfunding beyond our objectives,” SAR said.
