Brimfield resident Eileen Niejadlik and her son, Scott Niejadlik, are planning to collect donations for the town's Harding Fund as a way of getting financial help to people whose property was damaged by the June 1 tornado.
Camping trailers are seen damaged in Brimfield a week after three tornadoes swept through the regiona.BRIMFIELD – An effort is under way to secure donations during the July 12-17 run of the Brimfield Antiques Shows to help victims of the June 1 tornado.
Scott Niejadlik and his mother, Eileen Niejadlik, hope to have between five and eight locations at the antiques shows to collect donations for the town’s charitable fund, the Harding Fund.
This fund was set up decades ago to help town residents who are in need, and while it has been rarely tapped into in recent years, the level of activity since the tornado hit Brimfield has risen dramatically.
Town officials say there was a balance of about $30,000 at the beginning of June but nearly $90,000 has been contributed since word went out that the fund would be used to help people whose property was damaged in the tornado. Country Bank this week announced the Harding fund would be among three agencies to which it plans to contribute $25,000 each to aid tornado victims in the communities it serves.
A town committee is now meeting once or twice a week to consider applications from people who need help with their personal recovery efforts.
Scott Niejadlik is quickly organizing an effort to collect donations for the Harding Fund at the July installment of the antiques shows, and he expects to make another effort when the shows are held again in September.
Eileen Niejadlik said the shows present a good opportunity because so many visitors come to Brimfield as dealers and shoppers.
The antiques shows are held on both sides of a mile-long stretch along Route 20 heading west from the center of town, an area that did not receive much damage in the tornado.
But less than a mile south of this area, more than 140 homes were significantly damaged and some were destroyed.
Eileen Niejadlik said she expects that many of the people who come to the antiques shows three times each year consider Brimfield as a second home and would want to contribute.
“Our hope is to have them donate at the booths using checks, cash and credit cards to the Brimfield Harding Fund which will be distributed directly to those affected,” Eileen Niejadlik said.
Scott Niejadlik, who now lives and works in Boston, spent much of this past week arranging to have some 8-foot wide banners depicting the swath of devastation, which will be displayed at the collection locations at the antiques shows next week.
He has also started a website, www.projecthabitat.org, as a means of helping in the effort to take in donations for the Harding Fund.