Their $3 million Hingham home burned to the ground. Then they did something incredible.

HINGHAM – The Cutter family suffered a devastating loss in July 2022 when their recently purchased home was destroyed by a massive fire in the Crow Point neighborhood in Hingham. They had spent only three nights inside before the fire burned the entire structure to the ground and severely damaged a neighboring home.

At the time, neighbors, co-workers and other members of the South Shore community came together to raise thousands of dollars on GoFundMe, money the Cutters said they deeply appreciated but didn't particularly need. They used the money to throw a party for first responders and their families soon after the fire, but Haley and Pat Cutter didn't stop there.

“We recognized that we were so fortunate,” Haley said. “We realized that not everybody else was in that same position, so we wanted to give back to other families affected by fires, and we also wanted to really give back to the first responders.”

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Pat, Haley and their daughter Kinsley, 10, weren't home at the time of the fire, but their then-11-year-old son Colum was inside with a babysitter and two painters. They escaped without injury and watched as the home and the family's belongings went up in flames.

In the time since, the family has established The Cut Fire Fund, something they said there were inspired to do by their neighbors' generosity. The couple said they felt “a sense of hope” and were “uplifted” by the response, and wanted to provide that same feeling to others with their own form of altruism.

“They rallied around us so amazingly. We saw the support that we got from so many people,” Pat said.

It was Kinsley's idea to start the fund, which has been established as a Boston-based nonprofit. The Cut Fire Fund has helped three families in East Boston and donated $10,000 to the Hingham Fire Department.

Fire Chief Steve Murphy said the department will put the money to good use.

"It was very generous of them," Murphy said. "I think that that's very honorable. ... I can't imagine what they were going through, but the fact that they then wanted to reach out and support others, I think it's just amazing."

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The Cut Fire Fund has worked closely with families to provide clothing, school supplies, toys, food, diapers and other destroyed necessities, and the Cutters personally shop for the items.

Haley Cutter said it's the little things that matter when tragedy strikes. Colum lost a stuffed monkey in the fire that was given to him when he was 4 years old.

“It was his most treasured, treasured companion toy. He was crushed when he lost his monkey Jo-Jo,” Haley said.

Shortly after the fire, the family received a mystery monkey in the mail. Colum named his new companion Mo-Mo.

“For us, we really want to go out and put a smile on these kids' faces and do something that would uplift them, similar to what happened in the days that followed our fire," she said. "We want our children to be involved too."

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Murphy said the amount of damage that water and smoke can do inside a home is alarming, even if the house doesn't burn down. During a fire, his department tries to support families by retrieving personal belongings like photo albums and documents.

"The picture on the outside of the structure doesn't match what happens on the inside," Murphy said. "Until you go into that house, many people don't understand how widespread damage can be inside."

The Cutter family plans to rebuild their home on the same site, and they still live in Hingham.

On June 23, The Cut Fire Fund will host a golf tournament fundraiser at the South Shore Country Club. The original GoFundMe is still active, and the Cutters said all the money raised on the page will help the nonprofit's mission.

For more information about the golf tournament, how to donate or to apply for help, visit thecutfirefund.com.

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Reach Joel Barnes at jkbarnes@patriotledger.com.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Hingham family launches charity after $3 million Mann Street fire