By Layla Kalinen
Eagle Times Staff
LONDONDERRY, VT — Bev Jelley watched her family’s legacy gas station become halfway submerged in water during a a severe flooding event on July 10, her family’s livelihood seemingly washed away.
But thanks to support from the community and recovery relief from the Stratton Foundation, Community Connections and the Vermont Community Foundation (VCF), her and her family are making a comeback.
“We live in a wonderful community that I have been so thankful for, and certainly thank them for all of their past support from clean-up to reopening again,” Bev said. “I’ve had that wonderful support from the community and our customers.”
Jelley’s Mobil in Londonderry, which has been a community staple for about 20 years and serves as a liquor store and popular lunch spot, suffered significant damage during the historic water event this past summer. She said without the recovery funds they never would have reopened. But now she and her family are looking to reopen sometime in the next week or so.
“It is depending on when the rest of our equipment comes. We are waiting for repairs to be finished,” she explained. “We had to start from studs, walls out, new floors, new walls; everything, so yes, it’s taking us a period of time to get that done. We’re moving forward everyday with baby steps.”
The entire staff is banding together, and Bev said friends and family have been with them taking turns helping put the store in order.
“Right now, we’ve got a store full of workers and helpers. My daughter, grandkids and great grandkids help clean and push brooms,” she said about the haste being made to reopen. “I’ve lived in a wonderful community that has been supportive and are all anxiously waiting for us to reopen.”
The Jelley’s Mobil employees nine individuals. The business was the recipient of a VT Flood Response & Recovery Fund gift, and additional community support has made it so the store owners can continue their family-run legacy while keeping their staff.
“A place like Jelley’s that was deeply, significantly impacted by the flooding being able to reopen and then re-create that heart of that community again are the stories,” said Holly Morehouse, a vice president at the Vermont Community Foundation which established the Recovery Fund.
Bev said she, her husband Butch, friends and family have been grateful for the support.
Sarah Johnson, an employee for two years who said she does a little bit of everything in addition to working in the deli, said she loves how everything came together for everyone in spite of a major community loss.
“Those are the people that we are holding close in mind every step of the way,” Johnson said. “Everyone here has been working together, our jobs are saved, and we have gotten stronger.”
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