Coffee shop aims to help soldiers connect, heal
FORT LEWIS, Wash. -- Just steps from the Army base sits Coffee Strong, where coffee and combat talk brew together.
Created by veterans, the shop recently opened with the mission to help soldiers in service.
Seth Manzel, one of the driving forces behind the shop, said soldiers can bring in any sort of problem for consultation.
"If soldiers have problems with their command, if they have command abuse problems, if they're not getting enough time with their family," he said. "Everyone that's come in has been very positive about what we're doing."
Coffee Strong also connects soldiers with people who can help them with serious problems like mental health or sexual assault -- issues soldiers may be too embarrassed to address on the base.
"It's a really big issue and we have links to people in the community who can help them," Manzel said.
Coffee Strong is modeled after the coffeehouse movement of the 60s and 70s. During that time, businesses popped up near bases to help keep soldiers connected to the community.
"There's a pretty rich history of those in the peace movement," Manzel said.
Manzel and some of his fellow vets joined civilian supporters to raise $30,000 for the shop, which has been two years in the making. Tully's also donated much of the equipment the shop now uses.
"I think this is going to be a real link between the peace movement and soldiers on the bases that these are outside of," said Manzel.
Coffee Strong is located at 15109 Union Avenue Southwest in Lakewood. It is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Created by veterans, the shop recently opened with the mission to help soldiers in service.
Seth Manzel, one of the driving forces behind the shop, said soldiers can bring in any sort of problem for consultation.
"If soldiers have problems with their command, if they have command abuse problems, if they're not getting enough time with their family," he said. "Everyone that's come in has been very positive about what we're doing."
Coffee Strong also connects soldiers with people who can help them with serious problems like mental health or sexual assault -- issues soldiers may be too embarrassed to address on the base.
"It's a really big issue and we have links to people in the community who can help them," Manzel said.
Coffee Strong is modeled after the coffeehouse movement of the 60s and 70s. During that time, businesses popped up near bases to help keep soldiers connected to the community.
"There's a pretty rich history of those in the peace movement," Manzel said.
Manzel and some of his fellow vets joined civilian supporters to raise $30,000 for the shop, which has been two years in the making. Tully's also donated much of the equipment the shop now uses.
"I think this is going to be a real link between the peace movement and soldiers on the bases that these are outside of," said Manzel.
Coffee Strong is located at 15109 Union Avenue Southwest in Lakewood. It is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.