WEST TOWNSHEND — Things are always changing at the West River Community Project (WRCP), located at 6753 VT Route 30 at the base of Windham Hill Road. At their thrift store and post office, necessity forced them to come up with a new way to distribute secondhand books.
The thrift store, like every other retail establishment, was shuttered at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and, according to a WRCP news release, left many West River Valley book mavens in the lurch.
“That spring, a post office box holder and frequent Thrift Store donor, came to us with a question. 'When will the store be open again? I have had a box of books to donate in my car for a couple weeks!' As we did not know when the state would allow retail places to reopen, we looked at the porch, and said, 'Let's just put it here, on these chairs.' We got a marker and wrote 'Free Books' on her box. We put up a quick, 'Take a Book, Leave a Book' sign, and it began!”
Those original books quickly rotated out, and they said more books - and more boxes - appeared on the porch.
“All kinds of books, from history to romance novels, children's books and reference materials, novels, poetry, and cookbooks, have appeared on - and disappeared from - this porch,” they said.
Even when WRCP was able to reopen the store, the porch books were a continuing presence. Gradually, the impromptu free library evolved from cardboard boxes on the porch to a pair of hand-me-down bookcases that were braced, painted, and filled with books and videos and books on tape.
“They are available 24 hours a day, every day of the week, and we welcome readers and donations alike,” WRCP said. “The porch is deep enough to be out of the rain, handicapped accessible, and has chairs for easy browsing, too.”
The West River Community Project also hosts a country store, community meals (burgers on Tuesdays, wood-fired pizza on Fridays and Saturdays) and music three evenings a week, and a farmers' market on Fridays. For more information, visit westtownshend.org.