Businesses and good Samaritans donate to Gretchen Fleming ground search

WOOD COUNTY, W.Va. (WTAP) - There was a significant turnout at the Gretchen Fleming ground search on Saturday. There were volunteers and businesses who wanted to help.

Before the day of the search, Parkersburg police said that they expected many people. Parkersburg police chief Matt Board said he didn’t know if there could be anywhere from 150 to 15 hundred.

As the volunteers continued to come in, so did the businesses and community members wanting to help.

The Bodega provided free hot chocolate and coffee and Little Caesars and Community Bank handed out pizza and supplies.

“As we were pulling in, we were just commenting on the fact that sometimes we feel like we’re a dot on the map kind of in the middle of nowhere. But when you look around and you’re like ‘Oh no, there’s a lot of really beautiful things that are happening in our small community where people are rallying together.’ And when says help, drones of people are showing up,” says The Bodega owner, Jennifer Wright. “And so, it’s moving, it’s touching. You’re proud to call that home when you see stuff like this.”

Chief Board says that he would like to thank the businesses and community members who donated resources for this search.

He also wanted to thank the Wood County Sheriff’s Department, Mountwood Park staff, the Deerwalk Volunteer Fire Department and Wheeling police for their help.

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