Strength in Service: How Jill Storelli Turned Grit Into Clean Water for Thousands

Every Tuesday morning, before Wine To Water’s Boone warehouse fully comes to life, Jill Storelli walks in, greets the staff and volunteers, and begins prepping water filtration kits just like she has for months.

You don’t have to be a world record holder to serve with Wine To Water—but Jill is. In 2016, she tied the deadlifting world record for her age group. It wasn’t her first achievement, and it wouldn’t be her last. That’s the kind of person Jill is; when she commits to something she stays with it.

Jill first walked through the warehouse doors in February 2025. Since then, she’s packaged thousands of water filter components—critical technology that now sit in homes and communities around the world, bringing clean water to families she may never meet.

After the Storm: Hurricane Helene and a Call to Serve

When Hurricane Helene tore through Western North Carolina in September 2024, Jill didn’t wait to be asked—she stepped in. She volunteered with multiple organizations to deliver aid, but when she heard Wine To Water was distributing water filters to every resident of Avery County, she felt something shift.

“This one just got my heart because I have fourteen grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and the thought of those babies being somewhere where they might get sick and die because they didn’t have water, I told myself, ‘This is where it needs to go.’”

Jill showed up with a donation and a simple question: Where can I help?

Every Tuesday: A Quiet Kind of Faithfulness

Jill learned that volunteers gathered on Tuesdays to assemble water filtration kits. So she came back the next Tuesday. And the next. And every Tuesday since—from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.—she’s there, sleeves rolled up, hands working steadily.

“Jill is always there to help us,” said Paula Willison, Volunteer Coordinator at Wine To Water. “I just feel like she’s warmth and wisdom all in one. She’s just a hug in human form.”

Paula affectionately calls her Wine To Water’s unofficial employee. Jill knows how to restock filter parts, where everything belongs, and now she even trains new volunteers. She committed to showing up every week, and she fully expects to keep that promise.

“It’s great when people write checks,” Jill said. “But for me, I’ve just been fortunate to have the time to volunteer.”

The Ripple Effect of Showing Up

Because of people like Jill, families in Western North Carolina—and in communities around the world—have access to clean water.

Last fiscal year, Wine To Water volunteers served more than 8,900 hours. They traveled on three international trips and packed between 4,000 and 7,000 water filtration kits every week.

“Our volunteers are the heartbeat of the work we do here at Wine To Water,” Paula said.

Want to Serve Like Jill?

Come join us at the Boone warehouse. There’s always room at the table, and always another filter to pack.