A fund created to help the victims of the Boston Marathon bombs has raised $20 million, it was revealed yesterday.
A spokesman for the charity One Fund Boston said they vowed to distribute all of the money raised by the Fourth of July.
Boston mayor Thomas M Menino said: 'We raised $20m in a week: that's tremendous.'
Attorney Kenneth Feinberg will draw up guidelines on who will benefit from the $20m Boston marathon fund
Speaking at a press conference held in the city last night, Mr Menino introduced Kenneth Feinberg, the lawyer who oversaw the government's fund for 9/11 victims, as the administrator of the Boston fund.
Mr Feinberg said: 'Never underestimate the charitable impulse of the American people.
'It is a wonderful outpouring, but it will not make people whole.'
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The charity, known as The One Fund, is designed to give those who want to donate to the Boston victims one central place to gather money.
The attorney said some corporations had given $1m, while other individuals had donated $5 or $10, Fox News reported. It emerged last week that Major League Baseball had donated more than $500,000, while the Boston Red Sox gave $1m and the Red Sox Foundation passed on $46,500 in donations from fans.
The fund's administrator Kenneth Feinberg said the vast amount of cash raised showed Americans' generosity
The new administrator will be in charge of drawing up guidelines to govern who will benefit, and how. He plans to hold two town hall meetings in the first week of May to gather the public's views, and will meet some of the victims privately.
Mr Feinberg said the fund, which they will start to distribute on 30 June, would probably not be used to compensate those who suffered damage to their properties.To register for the fund, visit onefundboston.org or call 855-617-FUND from this afternoon.