Help Rebuild J. O. Brown & Son

Dear friends,

As we all know by now, two major storms caused serious damage to the Maine coast on January 10th and 13th of this year. Many docks, wharves, and homes in coastal communities were lost or damaged.

In North Haven, J.O. Brown & Son took a hard hit. The shop floor collapsed. The walls buckled. Flood waters lifted and twisted the wharf. Tools, equipment, supplies, and family heirlooms were flooded, lost overboard, and destroyed.

Miraculously, no one was injured and the 169 year-old boatshop is still standing, but she needs help. Over the last week, the entire Brown’s crew—and many volunteers from the community—have helped pick up the pieces, lugging debris, salvaging materials and tools, jacking up and securing the shop floor. It’s been an immense outpouring of labor and support for a cherished island institution.

But there is a lot more to be done. The work to fully stabilize and rebuild the shop and wharf is only beginning. Like coastal homeowners and businesses up and down the coast, Brown’s is only beginning to figure out the cost to get back on its feet.

Brown’s employees are spending many critical hours working on the building and wharf to restore services and make the area safe (great) again for customers. The boatyard is buying new tools and supplies to replace what was lost, and paying to fix what can be saved.

Frankly, they are going to need money to make it through the next couple of months. This fundraiser is intended to help them do just that.

The money from this fundraiser will go directly to J.O. Brown’s. It will cover direct expenses, like payroll for their workers, replacement tools, and supplies to rebuild and repair the shop and the other damaged buildings in the yard.

Whether you can give $50, $100, $1,000, $5,000 or more, you can make a real impact right now to help Brown’s get back on its feet. Your donation can buy a set of wrenches, or a stack of 2x4s, or help pay the salary of one of Brown’s many workers, people who we know and count on throughout the year.

As friends, neighbors, and customers of Brown’s, we know that it’s more than just a business. It’s a community institution. A reliable, friendly, helpful, indispensable resource for year-round and summer residents alike. It’s a point of connection to Vinalhaven—both for commuters and sightseers.

We need Brown’s. Please join us in supporting them in the aftermath of this storm, as their road to a full recovery begins.

If you’d prefer to send a check, you can send one to:

J.O. Brown & Son

PO Box 525

North Haven, ME 04853

Please write “Donation” on the memo line.