After losing their home in a fire last year, a Massachusetts family is giving back to others dealing with similar experiences.
Over the summer, the Cutter family of Hingham lost their multi-million-dollar home just two weeks after moving in.
WATCH ANYTIME FOR FREE
 |
Stream NBC10 Boston news for free, 24/7, wherever you are. |
The community stepped in to help with essentials, which is why they're hoping to pay it forward now.
"It was so important to try to find ways to help other families, the way we got helped," explained Patrick Cutter.
Get updates on what's happening in Boston to your inbox. Sign up for our News Headlines newsletter.
The family created The Cut Fire Fund to help support first responders and families who have been affected, and to raise awareness.
So far, the family has raised nearly $30,000 and helped more than a dozen families.
"We really want to give back, which is why we're providing essentials, but also we want to give comfort items, especially to the children," said Haley Cutter. "My son had lost his most cherished possession, which was a stuffed monkey that he had received at birth. He was just days old at Mass General, and a good friend brought it in, and he slept with that monkey every single night. So that was our biggest lost, and somebody, somehow, found the same exact monkey, and it arrived on our doorstep," she said. "And to this day, I have no idea who sent it. It was an angel monkey, as far as I'm concerned."
The couple, along with their two children, now give away care packages to families who need essential supplies.
"For the 4-year-old, they asked for some books, so we got him this, like, dinosaur sticker book," said 10-year-old Kinsley Cutter. "We got them at least three to five normal outfits and two pajamas."
The mother and daughter explained they do a lot of shopping together for supplies.
"We actually wrote letters to each kid, and I wrote, 'I know what you've been through and I'm here to support you,'" Kinsley Cutter said.
Turning their losses into lessons, the family said they also have a charity golf tournament planned for this summer.
"Anything that people in the community have for ideas, this is a grassroots effort, and we're learning as we go," said Patrick Cutter.
For more information about how to donate essential items, or to give a monetary donation, visit The Cut Fire Fund's website.
