BUCKHANNON – When there is a need, folks in Buckhannon and Upshur County seem to always ‘band’ together to help others. And in that vein, the Band of Brothers, a local Christian men’s group, will sponsor a barbecue chicken dinner Saturday, Oct. 30 beginning at 11 a.m.
All of the proceeds from the fundraiser will go to the Seth Poling Fund to assist Seth with his medical expenses and to help make Christmas as comfortable as possible for him and his family. Seth suffers from ALS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s disease, which currently has no cure.
Tucker described the Band of Brothers as a local group whose members seek to further God’s kingdom on earth through projects such as providing financial support to those in need and supporting individuals in the community with specific needs.
The dinners will contain half of a barbecued chicken, a baked potato, a couple of cookies and baked beans and will cost $12, BOB member Al Tucker told My Buckhannon this week. The meal may be picked up behind Chapel Hill United Methodist Church.
“If people make out a check, it can be made payable to the Band of Brothers and in the memo line, put ‘Seth,’” Tucker said. “Dinner can be picked up in the back parking lot of Chapel Hill. People will enter off of Hart Street.”
The chicken dinners have been selling quickly with about 122 being spoken for, so Tucker recommends folks put their name in for one of the dinners to assure they will be available. He said people can preorder by sending him an email at alanandliva@aol.com or by responding to his post on Facebook about the sale. Also, people may preorder a chicken dinner by sending him a message on Facebook Messenger.
Tucker said the group has received great community support for the chicken barbecue sale.
“It is for a wonderful family – for a young man who is going through a very difficult time,” Tucker said. “Medical expenses for someone with ALS are through the roof.”
Tucker said each year, the Band of Brothers completes a project and last year, the project was ‘Help Us Help Kids ages 1 to 92’ because they raised money to bring some Christmas cheer to older adults housed in nursing facilities during the pandemic.
“This year, our major focus is helping underprivileged kids who fall through the safety net,” Tucker said. “We want to help them get a little Christmas. We are working locally here with Lori Harvey at the Upshur FRN as well as working with a group out of Charleston that covers a number of counties. We feel really good that we are going to be able to get to people. We also wanted to do something special in Upshur County and Seth’s name kind of bubbled up.”
Tucker said Seth is facing some unimaginable difficulties and they all wanted to brighten Christmas for his family.
“The Poling family is an amazing family,” Tucker said. “They have done so many things for the community over the years and it is nice to be able to give back at a real time of need.”
Tucker said a group in Buckhannon has agreed to assist with the fundraiser so all proceeds could benefit Seth and his family directly.
“We had a company here in town, who wants to remain anonymous, that is putting up the money for the food for the fundraiser, so every penny we take in can goes directly to Seth’s fund,” he said.
Tucker said there have been folks who cannot make it to the fundraiser dinner but said they still want to help.
“If someone wants to help and is not able to participate in the chicken-dinner fundraiser, they can give a check to one of the Band of Brothers members or they can mail a check to Al Tucker, 98 West Lincoln Ave. in Buckhannon, WV 26201,” Tucker said. “Checks could also be dropped off at Chapel Hill. The main thing is to make the check payable to the Band of Brothers and put ‘Seth’ in the memo.
“We are so appreciative to the community for their response in this venture,” Tucker added. “We live in a great town where people care about one another and we are fortunate, as the Band of Brothers, to be the conduit and share all of that love with the Poling family.”
Another fundraiser, Sack Lunches for Seth, is currently taking orders through Monday, Oct. 25 for sack lunches, which include your choice of a baked ham-and-cheese or a turkey-and-cheese sandwich with condiments, a pickle, a bag of plain Mister Bee potato chips and a homemade cookie from Fish Hawk Acres. The cost of the lunches is $10, and orders qualify for delivery if there are five or more lunches.
The lunches will be delivered or picked up on Thursday, Nov. 4, and anyone picking up lunches is advised to do so before 11 a.m. at the Mt. Hermon United Methodist Church on Upper Childers Run Road in Buckhannon.
Mary Alice Poling, Seth’s mother, organizes the Sack Lunches for Seth Poling, and proceeds are used to help Seth and his family pay for care provided by aides.
“It takes approximately $200,000 a year for an ALS person’s care and to cover medical expenses and equipment not covered by insurance,” Mary Alice Poling shared.
Folks wishing to order a sack lunch can contact Mary Alice Poling by calling or texting 304-406-2909 or by sending her a message on Facebook.
“We cannot believe the generosity of the folks of Buckhannon,” Mary Alice Poling said. “Buckhannon has been behind Seth 100 percent.”
Seth Poling grew up in Buckhannon before moving to Morgantown. He is the son of Holt and Mary Alice Poling and has a sister, Brittany Alden. He graduated from Buckhannon-Upshur High School in 2005. He and wife Erika have two sons, Liam Seth and Bayler Michael Poling.
Seth received his ALS diagnosis in June 2017 after suffering from symptoms for four years prior.
“The money raised from the sack lunch sale is going to pay for his round-the-clock aides,” Mary Alice Poling said. “He does not qualify for any assistance and has to pay out of pocket for the aides.”
Folks who cannot participate in the Sack Lunches for Seth may mail a donation for his care to Mary Alice Poling at 46 Saratoga Drive in Buckhannon, WV 26201.
