STROUDSBURG, Pa. — From clothing to furniture and everything in between, you're sure to find what you're looking for at The Second Coming Thrift Store in Stroudsburg.
When you make a purchase here, you're helping support people in recovery like employee Tom Briggs.
"There's not a person I know of that addiction doesn't touch their life in some way, shape, or form, and without resources or places to turn, people end up going back to where they came from, and that doesn't facilitate the change that needs to happen," said Briggs.
It's a change Linda Diver is hoping to bring. She opened and started Nehemiah Sober Living—a group of sober-living houses that provide a safe, structured environment for addicts in early recovery from drugs and alcohol.
She knows all too well how addiction impacts a family. Her son battled drug addiction for 11 years before entering recovery. Since then, she has made it her mission to help other families.
"It started to destroy our family, I should say. Then he actually went to a long-term Christian-based program, and it changed his life, and that influenced us," said Diver. "We felt God put it on our hearts to mortgage our home and start this organization."
With two recovery houses already open, Diver is hoping to open a third to continue to fill the need and help those struggling with addiction in the Poconos.
"We have a waiting list of about 12 people. The need grows every day," said Briggs.
"We actually looked at one yesterday, and we need to have a 20 percent down payment and were struggling to see if we can meet that need, but we could fill that house and still have a wait list," Diver said. "So we were hoping to increase our business even more."
Diver says that business is a win-win situation for everyone.
You can shop or donate to the thrift store from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday.