At a Mother’s Day program at Maple Shade Meadows in Nesquehoning, a very special organization was on hand to not only provide some great bargains for the residents and their families, but to help provide funding for women who are in desperate need of help and hope.

My Sister’s Closet is a women’s resale boutique that offers a variety of pre-owned upscale clothing, jewelry and accessories. They operate a store at 3400 Bath Pike, Bethlehem, and they also operate pop-up boutiques at places such as Maple Shade Meadows. All money raised goes to Truth for Women, a nonprofit organization that is providing sanctuary and emergency stabilization to survivors of sex trafficking.

Mary Ann Cadden and Theresa Trevedi operated the boutique at Maple Shade. Cadden said that they sometimes will have someone come into their store and think that sex trafficking is something that happens in other countries.

“I answer them, ‘It also happens just down the road at the local hotel.’?”

A sobering statistic: According to Cadden, the average age of the sex trafficking victims is 14 years old.

Truth for Women has served approximately 70 women since it started. It helps with the longer-term residents, but lately has been providing emergency help for women who may have just been released from an area hospital, or victims of federal busts from local hotels.

“The women are so grateful and cannot believe they don’t have to return to that life any more,” Cadden said. “It’s like helping a post-traumatic stress victim. It’s a way for them to get their lives back.”

The main store opened in 2008, but the pop-up boutiques such as the one at Maple Shade provide a way for people in other areas to help as well. The shops can be set up at other assisted living facilities, churches, businesses and any organization that would like to sponsor a pop-up shop.

For more information, contact Michelle Orr at 610-866-5715. Visit shopmysisterscloset.com and learn more at truthforwomen.org.