Hunt Preservation Society has returned 32 families to their homes. Eight more projects are in progress.
The society’s permanent mission centers on preserving the “heart of Hunt” — specifically Preservation Park and the historic Hunt Store, which functions as the community’s gathering anchor — and supporting the Hunt CPR program for local businesses. But the floods revealed a gap in existing relief infrastructure that HPS has moved directly into: the legacy home problem.
Lisa Field describes her leadership style as wearing rose-colored glasses. She is not embarrassed about it.
She also describes what she saw along the South Fork on July 4, 2025, as apocalyptic. She is not exaggerating about that either.
Field, the executive director of the Hunt Preservation Society, appeared Wednesday on Lead Live’s Nonprofit Week to describe what a small, nimble 501(c)(3) can accomplish when it is embedded in the community it serves — and when it is willing to move faster than federal agencies.
Through the society’s Community Allotment Committee — a working group that includes Chae Spencer, Lucy Harmon, Bridget Symm, Weezy Johnston, Sydney Seavy, and Molly Adams — HPS built a home-repair program in the immediate aftermath of the 2025 flood and has since returned 32 families to their homes. Eight additional projects are currently in progress. Volunteer coordinator Tara Lancha manages the active caseload.
The society’s permanent mission centers on preserving the “heart of Hunt” — specifically Preservation Park and the historic Hunt Store, which functions as the community’s gathering anchor — and supporting the Hunt CPR program for local businesses. But the floods revealed a gap in existing relief infrastructure that HPS has moved directly into: the legacy home problem.
Many families in Hunt have lived in their homes for 50 years or more. The properties are often paid off, deeply personal, and completely unqualified for traditional aid programs that prioritize newer construction or require documentation that multigenerational families may not have. HPS has made those legacy homes a specific priority — treating them as the community’s identity, not just its housing stock.
“If we lose those homes,” Field said, “we lose something we can’t get back.”
The organization is actively seeking volunteers and donations to sustain the repair program through the 2026 recovery. Contact the Hunt Preservation Society through their Facebook page.
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