COLLEGE STATION, Texas — College Station Pawn Shop shared a program they have to help families deal with financial hardships.
Bailey Brock, a broker at a pawn shop, explained that they have seen a spike in new customers who are struggling to make ends meet.
"A lot of our regular customers come back, but we've seen a lot of new customers and almost all of them are just need gas or need groceries or just enough to get by," said Brock.
Brock noted that more people were visiting the pawn shop to sell off unwanted items for quick cash. The College Station Pawn Shop offers programs that assist families in meeting their financial obligations, including cash for equipment, loans, and layaway plans.
In 2017, the business launched a program called the 'Blessings Box'. The idea to help families in this way came from a piece of furniture that was split in two known as "The Hutch".
Brock explained that it began as a small project but grew into something much larger.
"We have a blessings box that we like to keep full of food if you need it. Take what you need and leave what you can't." "I think word about it started spreading and so now we try and keep it stocked." said Brock.
As Brock noted, the Brazos Valley community, along with College Station Pawn Shop, is contributing to cushioning the blow of inflation one unwanted item and canned item at a time.
"There's places like pawn shops here to help you out, to give you those loans and just enough to get you by and the community is here to help." said Brock.