October 11, 2017 | From BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Everything and everyone deserves a second chance. That’s the philosophy behind a local non-profit.
Re-train, reclaim and renew. That’s the philosophy at Second Chance, Inc.
The warehouse on Ridgely Street, and is 250,000 feet of stuff — furniture, lamps, sconces, book cases, art work — much of it taken from homes around the country that are being demolished. The idea is simple. Second Chance reclaims it, you come buy it and find a way to reuse it.
“We’re just a toy store for the people who are going to have fun with the stuff we reclaim,” says Mark Foster, who started Second Chance in 2003.
It’s so successful that it raises 99 percent of the money it uses. But it’s most important mission isn’t stuff, it’s people.
Two hundred men and women work in the warehouse full time. Antonio Johnson, now a retail manager, was in and out of jail three times until he got his “second chance.”
“I came down with my application and the rest is history and this was in 2008,” he says.
He’s one of thousands over the past decade whose life has been turned around by their time at Second Chance.
This Saturday night, Second Chance is hosting its fundraiser, “The Wreckers Ball.” Dress code is construction chic.
Second Chance is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. For more information, visit SecondChanceInc.org.