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ENLARGE
Roseburg Veterans Affairs Medical Center patient Francis Morgan of Myrtle Creek and his daughter, Sarah Bright, get snacks and drinks Thursday at the VA's new canteen.
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ENLARGE
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The canteen at the Roseburg Veterans Affairs Medical Center offers many items, from electronic appliances to clothing and stuffed animals.
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Ed Hartley an employee at the Roseburg Veterans Affairs Medical Center, checks out electronics Thursday at the VA's new canteen.
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Deb Collins navigated her wheelchair through the new canteen on the Roseburg Veterans Affairs Medical Center grounds on a recent afternoon.
“It's just an updated, fresher look,” she said of the small store that is part of the canteen that opened Oct. 26. “The aisles are wider. I can get down them without knocking anything over,” she added with a smile.
The Eugene resident, who has been recuperating from a diabetes-related foot wound at the nearby Community Living Center on the VA campus, was wheeling past displays that featured everything from veteran-themed hats and coats to computers and TVs to candy and delicate, blown-glass gifts.
The store is just part of the new canteen that also includes a cafeteria-style restaurant and light and spacious dining area in Building 71 at the grounds off Garden Valley Boulevard in Roseburg.
The new VA amenity replaces a former canteen that had been in Building 16. In that one, wood laminate benches were crammed into a dimly lit space with only one small window to the outside.
The VA opened the new space because building a new one was more cost-effective than renovating the old one, which had been in use for 63 years, said canteen chief Elizabeth Jesch.
The new facility also combines the dining area, kitchen and store into one location, whereas the store and restaurant were separate at the former location. Combining them saved costs as well, she said.
The restaurant is well used, with lines snaking out from the kitchen to the dining room during lunchtime, said VA spokeswoman Carrie Boothe.
Open from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, the canteen offers diners breakfast for as little as $4.05 or lunch of a hot entree, veggies, roll and drink for as little as $5.25.
Some of the food products at the new canteen are new and expanded as well, Jesch said. She described some of the additions: personal pizzas, improved sandwiches and an expanded selection of gourmet salads.
The store also serves a lot of customers, from veterans to VA employees to civilians. Electronics, appliances, candy and pop are some of the top sellers.
A special-order kiosk and access to online shopping provide customers a way to buy everything from washers and dryers to tires.
“We're open to the public,” Jesch said. She also noted the store has sales throughout the year.
“We're here for the veterans,” she added. “That's what we get our enjoyment from ... seeing them smile, talking to them, making them feel welcome here.”
Gen. Omar Bradley came up with the idea of including canteens at VA hospitals many decades ago, Jesch said.
Veterans “had no means to go out and get basic amenities like toothpaste, a toothbrush or a comb,” she said.
Although the present canteen offers quite a bit more than that, it still is meant to serve veterans in many ways, Boothe said.
The new canteen's location next to the Community Living Center is particularly conducive to that, she added.
Veterans come to the center to convalesce after an operation or illness. For example, someone recuperating from knee surgery might stay there four to six weeks, Boothe said.
During that time, a husband might come with his wife to the canteen to grab a bite to eat. Other times, veterans waiting for an appointment might sip coffee. Some may be veterans whom volunteers have driven to the medical center from around the state on vans donated by the Disabled American Veterans.
Still other times, volunteers who work more than four hours in one day might be eating at the canteen as the VA gives them meal tickets in return for their volunteer efforts.
Likewise, the store caters to vets. Family and friends sometimes stop by the store to pick up a gift or card before visiting a patient at the medical center. Patients can get reasonably priced medical supplies, such as vitamins and supplements or cases of Ensure.
“The bottom line, when we do improvements at the VA, we want to better serve the veterans,” Boothe said. “We're also better serving the families of the veterans. That comes with it.”
• You can reach reporter Kathy Korengel at 957-4218 or by e-mail at kkorengel@nrtoday.com.
“It's just an updated, fresher look,” she said of the small store that is part of the canteen that opened Oct. 26. “The aisles are wider. I can get down them without knocking anything over,” she added with a smile.
The Eugene resident, who has been recuperating from a diabetes-related foot wound at the nearby Community Living Center on the VA campus, was wheeling past displays that featured everything from veteran-themed hats and coats to computers and TVs to candy and delicate, blown-glass gifts.
The store is just part of the new canteen that also includes a cafeteria-style restaurant and light and spacious dining area in Building 71 at the grounds off Garden Valley Boulevard in Roseburg.
The new VA amenity replaces a former canteen that had been in Building 16. In that one, wood laminate benches were crammed into a dimly lit space with only one small window to the outside.
The VA opened the new space because building a new one was more cost-effective than renovating the old one, which had been in use for 63 years, said canteen chief Elizabeth Jesch.
The new facility also combines the dining area, kitchen and store into one location, whereas the store and restaurant were separate at the former location. Combining them saved costs as well, she said.
The restaurant is well used, with lines snaking out from the kitchen to the dining room during lunchtime, said VA spokeswoman Carrie Boothe.
Open from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, the canteen offers diners breakfast for as little as $4.05 or lunch of a hot entree, veggies, roll and drink for as little as $5.25.
Some of the food products at the new canteen are new and expanded as well, Jesch said. She described some of the additions: personal pizzas, improved sandwiches and an expanded selection of gourmet salads.
The store also serves a lot of customers, from veterans to VA employees to civilians. Electronics, appliances, candy and pop are some of the top sellers.
A special-order kiosk and access to online shopping provide customers a way to buy everything from washers and dryers to tires.
“We're open to the public,” Jesch said. She also noted the store has sales throughout the year.
“We're here for the veterans,” she added. “That's what we get our enjoyment from ... seeing them smile, talking to them, making them feel welcome here.”
Gen. Omar Bradley came up with the idea of including canteens at VA hospitals many decades ago, Jesch said.
Veterans “had no means to go out and get basic amenities like toothpaste, a toothbrush or a comb,” she said.
Although the present canteen offers quite a bit more than that, it still is meant to serve veterans in many ways, Boothe said.
The new canteen's location next to the Community Living Center is particularly conducive to that, she added.
Veterans come to the center to convalesce after an operation or illness. For example, someone recuperating from knee surgery might stay there four to six weeks, Boothe said.
During that time, a husband might come with his wife to the canteen to grab a bite to eat. Other times, veterans waiting for an appointment might sip coffee. Some may be veterans whom volunteers have driven to the medical center from around the state on vans donated by the Disabled American Veterans.
Still other times, volunteers who work more than four hours in one day might be eating at the canteen as the VA gives them meal tickets in return for their volunteer efforts.
Likewise, the store caters to vets. Family and friends sometimes stop by the store to pick up a gift or card before visiting a patient at the medical center. Patients can get reasonably priced medical supplies, such as vitamins and supplements or cases of Ensure.
“The bottom line, when we do improvements at the VA, we want to better serve the veterans,” Boothe said. “We're also better serving the families of the veterans. That comes with it.”
• You can reach reporter Kathy Korengel at 957-4218 or by e-mail at kkorengel@nrtoday.com.
