NAPPANEE, Ind. (AP) — A fund set up to help victims of an October tornado rebuild their lives has attracted more than a half million dollars in donations, officials said.

The Nappanee Tornado Victims Fund has raised $541,000 — just short of the $600,000 goal — for victims of the Oct. 18 storm.

"The generosity of the people in the area as far as making donations is overwhelming," Nappanee Mayor Larry Thompson said Friday.

October's tornado destroyed 51 homes in the northern Indiana city of fewer than 7,000 people, while 137 homes had major damage and 201 had minor damage from the storm.

More than 100 businesses sustained damage, including three recreational vehicle plants that are among Nappanee's largest employers.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency last month denied a request for federal aid for residents affected by the storm. FEMA said damage to the private sector wasn't severe enough to warrant a major disaster declaration and assistance.

Earlier this month, officials sent an appeal to FEMA. Thompson is hoping for an answer to the appeal by the end of the year.

Donations for the city's relief fund have come from a variety of sources. The Elkhart County Community Foundation sent out about 700 letters asking for contributions. These letters brought in numerous donations, some as high as $10,000.

The Rinker Family Foundation made a $200,000 donation. And the community foundation donated $50,000 to the fund, said Earl Taylor, foundation president.

Additional profits have come from things like T-shirt sales. As of last week, sales of tornado T-shirts had generated about $11,000, said Linda Yoder, director of the Northern Indiana Tornado Recovery Operation committee.

"I've never seen this done before, where a community can raise this kind of money to help its own," said Kevin Cox, head of the Hope Crisis Response Network.