Prineville, Ore. – Crook County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue volunteers are grilling up tri-tip sandwiches outside Ray’s Food Place in Prineville today and tomorrow (Oct. 2nd & 3rd), raising money to help fund their mission of saving lives and assisting in emergencies across the region.
The fundraiser began Thursday and continues through 7 p.m. today, with volunteers back again on Friday. At the close of Friday’s sales, the group will also hold a drawing for several raffle prizes, including rifles. Much of the tri-tip is being cooked up by volunteer Ron Allen who owns Ron’s Comfort Food Cafe located at the Prineville Golf Course.
Karen Marcotte, a veteran member of the unit who has been with Crook County Search and Rescue (SAR) for more than a decade, said she is motivated by “the privilege of helping people.”
“We’re there at a moment’s notice to drop everything we’re doing, to go out to find missing people and, sometimes, to recover missing people,” Marcotte said. “That gratification alone is enough. We’re all volunteers. We’re not paid. Search and Rescue is not tax-funded either. Equipment, training, and bringing in trainers—those are all things we have to pay for ourselves. This is where fundraisers like this come in.”
Marcotte, who runs a trained search dog, said calls for help have steadily increased over the years. The unit has already been called out to more than 30 missions this year—ranging from lost hikers to wildfire evacuations.
Fellow volunteer Marvin Briggs, who joined three years ago after relocating from Northern California, said he has seen firsthand how active the team has become with the number of missions it has been performing.
“My first year it wasn’t too bad, maybe in the 20s,” Briggs said. “Last year it was low to mid-30s, and this year we’re probably around 40 before you know it. Then you’ve got hunting season, the first snowstorms—people always like to get up in the hills.”
The organization said that they have already hit a record 35 missions, and the year is not yet over.
Briggs, who helps with the canine team, noted that wildfire evacuations are a growing part of their work. “Fire season wasn’t as bad this year as last, but those calls are always part of it,” he said.
While the sheriff’s office provides vehicles and fuel, SAR’s training and specialized equipment are entirely self-funded. With about 50 to 60 active members—including ground searchers, canine handlers, and mounted units—fundraisers are critical to keeping the team mission-ready.
“The community is very, very good about backing us,” Briggs said. “Every little bit helps.”
Crook County Search and Rescue is currently accepting new applicants. Those interested can apply through the sheriff’s office, with training academies typically held in the spring.
Residents can support the team by stopping by Ray’s Food Place through Friday to purchase a tri-tip sandwich or a raffle ticket for a chance to win a gun that will be raffled off on Friday at the end of the fundraiser.
Mr. Alderman is an investigative journalist specializing in government transparency, non-profit accountability, consumer protection, and is a subject mater expert on Oregon’s public records and meetings laws. As a former U.S. Army Military Police Officer, he brings a disciplined investigative approach to his reporting that has frequently exposed ethics violations, financial mismanagement, and transparency failures by public officials and agencies.
