STATE COLLEGE — For more than three decades, CentrePeace has helped people rebuild lives that many in Centre County will never see firsthand.
But if you sit with Executive Director Barbara Squires for even a few minutes, you understand immediately that the work happening behind the doors of their store reaches far beyond secondhand furniture and donated appliances.
“We’ve been here 31 years,” Squires said. “Marie Hamilton is our founder, and she was working with the Voluntary Action Center at the time. Someone wanted to volunteer at Rockview, and no one had ever asked that before.”
That initial question sparked a relationship that would grow into a lifelong mission. Hamilton walked through the doors of SCI Rockview and knew instantly that working with incarcerated individuals was her calling. What began with fundraising to help families afford transportation for prison visits grew into yard sales, then a full-time store and eventually a comprehensive reentry program built on dignity, skills and second chances.
Today, CentrePeace operates 15 programs designed to support people who are currently or formerly incarcerated. The programs range from hands-on trade skills to personal development, financial literacy, mentorship and emotional support.
“Everything that we do at CentrePeace has some kind of value they can use in a job going forward,” Squires said. Trainees learn everything from loading trucks to repairing furniture, interacting with donors, refinishing dressers, reupholstering chairs and transforming discarded items into something new and useful. “We have someone now who loved it so much they’re making things from scratch, and their goal is within the next three years that this will be their full-time income.”
Mondays are reserved exclusively for trainees. No shoppers, no donors, just structured classes, one-on-one support and reflection time. They begin with time spent with Chaplain Davon, whose sessions Squires said are uplifting and meaningful. “They all love the time with our chaplain. They talk about important things that are uplifting to them,” she said.
Project Restore is the most visible of CentrePeace’s programs. But behind that is a deep emphasis on restoration, not only of furniture, but of identity, future and family. Trainees earn store credit for every hour spent at CentrePeace, giving them access to essentials like beds, linens, furniture and cookware when they return home.
“Some lost everything when they went in. They come to us and say, ‘Where do I start?’ Their store credit lets them start over,” Squires said.
Other programs include TAP, a temporary employment bridge for individuals who need income or paperwork assistance; Prayer Mates, an anonymous spiritual pen-pal program between community volunteers and incarcerated individuals; a birthday card initiative; Christmas Cards for the Incarcerated, with more than 10,000 cards requested this year; and the Tom Brewster Fund, which helps meet basic needs such as prepaid cell phones, gas to get to work, PPE gear or transportation home from the Centre County Correctional Facility.
CentrePeace’s biggest need is simple: volunteers. “We can’t do what we do without volunteers,” Squires said. “They get a chance to work side by side with individuals from the Centre County Correction Facility. They never know the conversations they have and how that impacts someone.” She shared stories of people who returned months later just to thank a volunteer who prayed for them or took time to listen.
Their second challenge is awareness. “People look at CentrePeace as just a thrift store. We’re not. The thrift store is our full-time, year-round fundraiser. We do not have any federal, state or local grants. Everything we do is 100% funded by what comes through our store,” she said.
Looking ahead, Squires hopes to see the organization expand into a larger workshop space with windows that allow the public to see trainees working on projects. She hopes for a space big enough for additional trade skills like electrical, plumbing or HVAC training. “Something that could spark a goal in them for when they get out,” she said.
Squires said involvement begins once trainees are sentenced and approved by the judge. They are then offered work reentry, which can include kitchen, groundskeeping or CentrePeace training before eventually becoming eligible for work release with community employers.
As the holidays approach, Squires hopes the community remembers the power of giving locally. “You never know who is going to be impacted by incarceration,” she said. “We’ve all made mistakes. We’re all better than our worst mistake. We’re trying to help individuals see that they can forge their future. It won’t erase the past, but it can change how people think of them.”
She encourages the public to follow CentrePeace on Facebook to see weekly stories, updates and photos that reflect the mission in action. “We share stories about people who are touched, how they’re touched and what they’ve said,” she said.
And in the end, the heart of CentrePeace comes down to one belief: changing one life changes many. “It’s their family, their kids, their parents, their siblings, their neighbors,” Squires said. “The ripple effect is bigger than any of us will ever understand.”
