Over 1,800 volunteers assist in search for Maddi, another search planned for Saturday

(ABC 6 News) – Nearly 2,000 people came out to assist in the search for Madeline Kingsbury on Friday.

“I feel like service is really big in my life. So, I thought this is the least I could do today. Come out and help in any way we can,” said Julie Arentz.

“If somebody in my family called out to the community and I could get this kind of showing, that would be awesome,” said Mark Brockway.

Once people signed in, they loaded buses to be transported out into rural Fillmore County along Highway 43.

“We are fanning out, hitting the hills, and looking for anything out of the ordinary. Just walking and looking,” explained Jeff Rein, Mabel Fire department.

Volunteers and emergency crews searched for hours and walked many miles Friday. First responders were proud of the work everyone is doing to try and find Maddi.

“It’s Fillmore County, it’s amazing. Something like this happens and everybody comes together,” Rein said.

The Winona County Sheriff’s Office, Winona Police Department and the Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office are now organizing another mass search for Maddi on Saturday.

“First and foremost—Thank you to all the volunteers, fire departments and first responders who aided in the search today. There was a large amount of area searched and we had over 1,860 volunteers in the two search areas.“

Ben Klinger, Winona County Emergency Management Coordinator

Day Two: The request is for volunteers to aid in the search. Officials are looking for individuals over 18 years of age to walk areas that are rough terrain and long distances.

Authorities are asking that if you volunteer, we need to have individuals that can meet these requirements: wear appropriate clothing and footwear.

RELATED: Police provide update on Madeline Kingsbury’s disappearance; search continues

If you are willing to volunteer, registration will be from 9am – 11am at either:

• Winona County -Goodview Fire Department, 4135 5th St, Winona MN
• Fillmore County Rushford-Peterson School, 1000 Pine Meadows Lane, Rushford MN.

Volunteers will be assigned and bussed to the search areas.

Bring your driver’s license/identification. You will need to be checked in and out for security and accountability.

Sign-up is recommended for organizational purposes, you can do so, HERE.

A GoFundMe page has also been setup in the search for Kingsbury. It can be found, HERE.