On Sept. 7, at 4 p.m. the Lincoln County Search and Rescue unit pulled a ticket out of a tumbler on Facebook Live. The ticket held the name of the winner of the 2020 Polaris 570 sportsman four-wheeler raffle the unit was hosting.

Usually, the unit holds an annual barbecue to raise money, but this year it was canceled. COVID-19 restrictions made it hard to host the event, Kevin Gordon, unit commander, said.

“We usually lose money on the meal side [of the barbecue],” Gordon said. “The raffle is where we usually fundraise.”

Gordon said this year’s raffle online was very successful based on the situation. The money raised will be going toward building the command unit, Gordon said. Specifically, a side-by-side that allows the unit to haul patients and a few other things to help improve the ability of the Search and Rescue unit, according to Gordon.

This nearly 50-member crew has had the same number of calls so far this year as they did the entirety of last year, Gordon said. According to Gordon, a typical call during this time of year involves an overdue hunter who didn’t show up at home at their regular time.

“The biggest thing is to let people know where you are going and not change from that location,” Gordon said.

Gordon, who has been a member for almost 30 years, said that since the unit was founded in 1962, there is no one who is still missing that they were sent out to look for.