GREENSBORO, N.C. — Freedom House Thrift held a ribbon cutting on Thursday for its third location. The new location in the Northwest Centre shopping center on Battleground Avenue in Greensboro raises funds for long-term addiction recovery treatment for mothers with young children.
Attention to detail is a skill Dana McBride takes pride in. As a sales associate at Freedom House Thrift in Greensboro, she wears many hats.
“It's very therapeutic,” McBride said. “I go in, I hang and tag clothes, I run the register, I work the back door. I do shoes."
Though McBride finds a way to accomplish all her tasks, she said responsibility wasn't always her strong suit. Nearly 10 years ago, she began battling a cocaine addiction. The struggle ultimately caused her to lose custody of her two girls.
“I never knew why I couldn't stop doing it,” McBride said. “Depression, anxiety, you know, and it would always make me feel better. I finally hit rock bottom when my family told me I was no longer welcome at their house.”
McBride began her treatment with Freedom House in 2022. Freedom House is a two-year residential recovery program for women and their children. Like all others in the program, working in the thrift store is part of the recovery.
“Well, the biggest thing is I go to work every day,” McBride said. “I've never done that before, I've never been able to hold a job down for eight months, every single day. So, I've learned good work ethic.”
Sales from all items purchased go directly into the rehab program. Executive Director Houston Core said each thrift store helps create generational change.
“They walk away with a lot,” Houston said. “They come completely broken, they look as close to death as a person can look and when they leave Freedom House, they look transformed. A lot of them come to us as you might expect without many job skills. We want them to leave with a job, a car, and their family. The ability to succeed long term and really have a strong foundation."
As McBride prepares to graduate from the treatment program this summer, she hopes her story shows every purchase is money well spent.
“I plan on getting my driver's license back and custody back of my girls,” McBride said. “It makes me feel great. Like I finally feel worthy of a new life. God has restored me."
Freedom Thrift has two locations on Battleground Avenue and a third location on Bridford Parkway in Greensboro.