The Mountain View Timberland Library in Randle.
In November of 2019, the Mountain View Timberland Regional Library in Randle opened the Veteran Connection Cafe, but the program was short-lived as it was shut down at the start of the pandemic in February of this year.
The Veteran Connection Cafe was created to provide various services to veterans in the rural community of Randle. Veterans could set up an appointment to receive professional assistance with healthcare, pensions, lawyers and other benefits.
“I feel that as a library — especially a rural library — our job is to serve our community in whatever way that we possibly can and teleservices seemed to be such a good fit in Randle,” Mountain View Library Manager Mary Prophit said.
The Timberland Regional Library teamed up with WestCare, a nonprofit organization that “provides quality health and human services for individuals, families and communities in need.”
Prophit refused to let access to veteran services and programs in east Lewis County fizzle out after the closure of the cafe. She has continued to help veterans receive their benefits and stay connected to services.
“The good news is that even though people are not allowed in the library and we had to close the Veteran Connection Cafe, we are still serving veterans in a contactless way,” Prophit said. “I am so excited for the opportunity that east Lewis County Veterans have to connect virtually with a veterans service officer.”
Prophit, a veteran herself, said that in rural and isolated east Lewis County, veterans have trouble connecting with services because of lack of transportation or lack of internet service.
Although the library is still closed to the public, Prophit said that the library can provide veterans with a Chromebook and they can use the library WiFi from the parking lot if they need to, but much of the veteran services that have already been provided can be conducted over the phone.
A veteran can contact the library to let someone know that they need some assistance and the library will forward their name and phone number to the library’s partners at the Lacey Veterans Service Hub.
Prophit’s husband, an Army veteran, called the Lacey Veteran Service office, was sent some paperwork to fill out, sent it back, got a reassessment of his hearing loss and had his monthly tax-free disability payments increased.
“One of the reasons we want to help east Lewis County veterans is because it’s going to help the whole economy out here. Economically, having this very simple opportunity, that doesn’t cost the library much to maintain, is directly affecting our economy out here,” Prophit said.
Prophit said that her husband isn’t the only east Lewis County veteran that has been helped — one veteran had a disability denial reversed, several have made appointments for disability reevaluation and another veteran is now receiving psychiatric care for PTSD.
“All because of contactless help from the library,” Prophit said.
Once more COVID-19 restrictions are lifted Prophit’s hopes to get the Veterans Connection Cafe up and running again. The Mountain View Library in Randle should be opening in a limited capacity to the public sometime this month.
The Mountain View Timberland Regional Library, located at 210 Silverbrook Rd. in Randle, can be reached by calling 360-497-2665. Library hours and updates can be found on their website at www.trl.org/locations/mountain-view.
