SHIOCTON (NBC 26) — It's a busy day for librarian Kim DeWindt.
For the first time in 13 days, the Shiocton Public Library reopened to the public after local flooding.
"We survived it," said DeWindt.
Unlike most of the area, the library sustained no damage from the floods. That's allowing the library to serve as a rare bastion of stability for Shiocton.
"I like that people know they can come here. To be normal. To walk out of their house where something might be a mess, come in here, whether they get a book or they just come in to see who's here," said DeWindt.
And a project that began just before the floods will help the library serve additional needs.
Vicky Wagner is on the Shiocton Library Board and volunteers for the local food pantry, which has been looking for a way to make food more readily available, and they chose the library as one place to distribute essentials.
"This is a great place to have this. People come in this door, they are free to take whatever they need," said Wagner.
The library food pantry started in early March, so as word spreads and needs become clear, Wagner anticipates higher usage.
"Everybody is assessing their damage, and now they're going to have to clean up, and that's when you're going to have people with expenses," said Wagner.
Along with Shiocton schools reopening, the library's return is a sign of normal times ahead.
"Normal is good. I like normal. I used to complain because it was always... nothing exciting. I'll take that normal any day now," said DeWindt.
The library is hoping to partner with other local organizations to participate in a drive for hygiene products in the coming weeks.
