On June 1, 2011, a tornado of magnitude F3 ripped through the southern half of Brimfield, leaving in its wake a level of destruction rarely witnessed in this part of the country.

Who we are: Project HABITAT was created to help promote and encourage donations to the Harding Fund of the Town of Brimfield. The Harding Fund is a fully tax-deductible, charitable fund established in 1909 to provide monetary relief for Brimfield residents in need of aid. Residents who were victims of the June 1 tornadoes can apply for aid by submitting a written request to the Trustees of the Fund. Requests can be dropped off at the Town Selectman’s Office. The links on this page will take you to the town website for further information on the Fund and how to apply for aid. Our goal is to raise money for the Fund, 100% of which is given directly to residents in need. Donations can be made electronically via credit card (Master Card or Discover), or by mailing a check made out to “Town of Brimfield,” with “Harding Fund” specified on the memo line. If you would like to donate to the Fund, please click on the donate button to get access to Brimfield’s secure online donation page.

We had a very successful campaign setup during both the July and September markets. Over the course of the two weeks we were able to collect a staggering $18,587 in cash thanks to all of your support and kind words about our town; all of the collected donations will be given directly to the affected residents of Brimfield. Thanks to a small but effective group of volunteers, comprised of both residents and non-residents, we were able to operate a series of booths across the flea market fields that displayed photos and stories of tornado victims and the volunteers who have helped homeowners and the Town with the massive clean-up efforts.

A special Welcome to the Boston University Terriers and Project Mailbox.

Thanks for checking us out and hopefully helping out our small community. If anyone is looking to help out with cleanup, please send us an email at contact@projecthabitat.organd we can put you into contact with the correct people. Thanks again!


All donations are Tax-deductible.

If you would like to mail in a check to the Harding Fund please make it Payable to
"The Town of Brimfield - Harding Fund Tornado Relief" and mail it to
The Harding Fund
23 Main St
Brimfield MA 01010

Some Notes on the damage:

  • Within the town of Brimfield alone, there were roughly 150 houses damaged, 47 of them were completely flattened.
  • We lost 1,000 acres of our 3,000 acre state forest land, which is now a significant fire hazard as the area is completely cutoff as all previous fireroads are now destroyed.
  • The recovery effort has been running pretty much non stop since June 2nd with many townsfolk volunteering countless hours in order to help out their neighbors.

    • Special thanks to:
    -Honest Town Postal and Print of Southbridge
    -The Center of Hope
    -The Central Mass Chamber of Commerce
    -The Harding Fund of Brimfield
    -The Countless volunteers from all over that have been clearing debris and rebuilding people's lives for months.
    -Project Mailbox