All right.

Well, do you like finding a bargain?

I know I sure do.

And according to a survey conducted by Talker Research, two thirds of American adults who responded say they visit thrift shops to help stretch those household dollars.

Now, we found a local thrift shop that turns finding a great deal into a great deal of help.

Producer Russ Hunsinger takes us to Backporch Treasures Thrift Boutique operated by the Matthews Help Center.

(lively music) (bell dings) - [Russ] It starts in the driveway when people are donating their donations.

Their donations are hope to us, and then they go into our thrift shop.

Our community can go shopping and pay for those items, and that was what's helped fuel our mission through Social Works.

- Thank you very much for coming in.

We appreciate it.

- We are just a place to walk alongside our neighbors who are struggling.

The Matthews Help Center is a nonprofit organization to serve our community.

Backporch Treasures Thrift Boutique is the revenue stream of the Help Center, but it's also a program of the Help Center.

- In April of last year, I was laid off, had a four-year-old who was in preschool, and we needed to feed the family and we needed to keep him in school.

So we heard about Backporch Treasures, Matthews Help Center, and it was at a time where I felt so untethered in the world, and it made me feel like I had a home.

- The demand is so great right now.

We have hardworking families that work overtime, they have multiple jobs, and one little thing, if they have a reduction in hours, just by a couple hours a week could actually derail them and put them behind in their rent.

Our goal is to keep the families in their homes, so anything that we can do to prevent an eviction or a utility disconnection is gonna be our highest priority.

- Everyone that applies with us is in crisis, and every situation tends to be an emergency situation.

Someone comes in, calls or applies that has fallen behind on their rent, and it could be one month, two months, but whatever's on their ledger, we work with their apartment complex so that we can maybe come to a term where we can help them.

Utilities assistance, we partner with just about every utility company in the area.

There's been times when we're on the phone with a client having our appointment, we know that we're gonna be able to help them, their power gets turned on.

Childcare assistance, if somebody falls behind on their daycare, then we can come in and help them look at what they owe on their ledger, and nine times out of 10, if the crisis fits our criteria, we're able to help with that.

- Some of our clients, because they are in crisis and some of them actually use the last few dollars they have to pay whatever the bill is, they don't have money to purchase food.

We provide three days worth of non-perishable food items to our clients.

(phone rings) - Matthews Help Center has made extra calls.

I came to the Matthews Help Center.

I got assistance.

I received help paying my financials, also help with paying for rent, for food, was able to shop in the store for clothing, and it's been a blessing.

And so I came later and I volunteered.

I went from being help to volunteering and then employed.

It's been a great pleasure.

- [Russ] Volunteers are the heart of our mission, and we have probably close to 350 weekly volunteers to make this operation happen, and without them, we would not be able to do the work that we're doing.

They are crucial.

- Can I put this in your car for you?

Our donations come in, buy a car, and they go from donations into what we'll call triage.

We look through and find out what we can resell and what we probably can't.

Just have so much fun.

And that's the thing about volunteering here.

There's always so much that needs to be done.

- First, I go through the drive-through and drop off, and then I park and go inside and look for little treasures to take home.

- Thank you.

- Thanks for shopping with us.

- They spend so much time in this store making it beautiful and easy to shop, and at a time in your life when you feel so low, they help you maintain your dignity.

You don't feel like you're sifting through junk, just hoping to find something.

You know that they're there, that there's going to be something for you.

- Shoppers can find deals every day.

It's a great way to save money.

Our families do not have to pay to go shopping in our amazing thrift shop.

- I bought a science magic kit and a tie for a graduation for my friend.

- [Russ] The help part of the Matthews Help Center means something.

It's hope, empathy, love, and partnership.

And we believe that to be our core value with our staff, our volunteers, our clients, but really it's our community too, because we can't do what we're doing without our community.

- Thank you.

- Thanks for coming.