A Community That Never Gives Up: Why Berks County Search & Rescue Needs Us Now

When someone goes missing in Berks County, there is no pause button, no waiting until morning, no “someone else will handle it.”

Then there is Berks County Search & Rescue, a team of fully trained, fully insured, highly skilled volunteers who drop everything the moment they are called. They search the woods in the dead of night. They comb riverbanks in the freezing cold. They bring comfort to families living through the worst moments of their lives.

And they do it all without a single dollar of federal, state, or local funding.

Who They Are

Formed in 2019 after community members recognized a major gap in local emergency response, Berks County Search & Rescue became Berks County’s designated Station 2 by the Department of Emergency Services. They are also recognized as a Level I team by the Pennsylvania Search and Rescue Council, the highest level of operational readiness.

Every mission they undertake is powered by volunteers, not paid staff. These men and women train tirelessly in wilderness search, drone operations, man tracking, special populations support, and more.

The Impact They Make

Their work protects:

Lost hikers
Missing seniors
Children who wander
Individuals in crisis
Families praying for answers

They not only conduct active search and rescue missions but also provide wilderness safety education to adults and children throughout Berks County and surrounding regions.

In a county where emergency services are often stretched thin, their presence is not just helpful, it is lifesaving.

Why Funding Is Critical

Berks County Search & Rescue is a 501(c)(3) public charity that receives no government funding whatsoever. Every piece of equipment, every vehicle, every training certification, and every emergency deployment is funded only through community donations.

This means:

When their radio equipment fails - your donation gets it repaired.
When they need to upgrade safety gear - your donation keeps volunteers protected.
When their specialized units (drones, man tracking tools, special population equipment) need maintenance - your donation keeps them mission-ready.
When they are called to search for someone’s loved one - your donation fuels the operation.

Their impact is enormous. Their budget is not.

🌲 A Story From the Heart: “We’ll Be There.”

Imagine a cold autumn evening in Berks County.
A local family calls 9‑1‑1, their elderly father, who suffers from dementia, has wandered from home. As daylight fades, panic grows. The hills are steep, the woods are thick, and every minute matters.

While other emergency crews manage multiple calls, Berks County Search & Rescue mobilizes immediately. Volunteers leave dinner plates on tables, step away from warm living rooms, and head straight into the night. They coordinate search grids, deploy drones, and begin tracking footprints through leaves damp with the evening dew.

Hours pass.
Then...a radio crackles.

“We found him.”

He is cold, scared, and disoriented… but alive.
Because strangers who owed him nothing gave everything.

This is what Berks County Search & Rescue does. Quietly. Reliably. Without hesitation. And always without guaranteed funding.

❤️ This Is Where We Come In

When you give to this campaign, you aren’t donating to an organization,
you are standing beside every family who hopes their loved one will be found.

You are:

Fueling search vehicles
Powering drone batteries
Providing life-saving equipment
Supporting specialized training
Ensuring that whenever the call comes… they can go.

Berks County Search & Rescue exists because our community believes in taking care of one another.
Today, they need us just as much as we may one day need them.

RFCU Community Warriors Bingo 2026

By Riverfront Federal Credit Union

RFCU Community Warriors Bingo 2026

Proceeds Benefit Berks County Search and Rescue