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An online fund to pay for private searches for two Tequesta boys missing at sea 24 topped $400,000 Saturday.
The GoFundMe webpage started by the families of Austin Stephanos and Perry Cohen, both 14, had raised more than $401,000 as of 6 p.m. Saturday.
More than 4,200 people had donated to the campaign, which had a goal of $450,000. The biggest contribution, $25,000, came from Yeti Coolers, a company that makes portable food-storage devices.
Events throughout the Jupiter-Tequesta area Saturday raised money to pay for the searches as well, including one at Pinder’s Seafood & Marketplace that brought more than 30 people to its North Dixie Highway store .
“We wouldn’t have this turnout if it wasn’t for the hope,” said Kelly Powers, the store manager and bookkeeper. “This turnout has been amazing. We want to raise as much money as possible. Every single dollar matters.”
The Stephanos and Cohen families were seeking pilots with helicopters and airplanes who could search off North Carolina and South Carolina through Sunday, two days after the Coast Guard suspended its search for the boys.
Coast Guard crews had covered nearly 50,000 square nautical miles from Jupiter to the North Carolina coast when it suspended its search at sunset Friday.
Visitors to Pinder’s on Saturday bought T-shirts for $20 apiece bearing the Twitter hashtag “#FishAustinandPerry” along with stickers, koozies and hats to raise money to help find the boys who disappeard July 24.
The clothing will remain on sale until stock runs out, and the money will be delivered to a representative of the families Monday, Powers said.
Norieta Stephanos, a cousin of Austin, also plans a “dress fundraiser” Sunday at Dress to Dazzle, her Stuart clothing store, to help raise money for the private searches. The store on Southeast Ocean Boulevard will sell all its dresses for $100 apiece from noon to 4 p.m. and then donate all proceeds to the GoFundMe account.
“We can only follow so many leads online, so I figured, ‘I don’t have a boat or a plane — but I do have dresses,’ ” Stephanos said.
Stephanos said she has raised more than $4,00o online in recent days, including purchases from people from as far away as New Zealand who want to contribute to the search effort.
Through a social-media post, the Stephanos and Cohen families on Saturday also asked divers to be on the lookout for fishing gear that the boys may have had on their 19-foot boat the day they went missing.
The gear included Shimano Tiagra 6500 fishing rods.
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