SERV has grand opening of thrift store to fund field trips for consumers of its Progressive Achievement Center

 The Progressive Achievement Center of SERV Behavioral Health System Inc. held a Grand Opening Feb. 9 for its “Racks At PAC” Thrift/convenience store at 380 Scotch Road in Ewing.

The thrift store will have donated home décor items, as well as handmade gift boxes, photo frames, tie-dyed T-shirts and special- occasion items created by SERV’s consumers with developmental disabilities in the Arts & Crafts class, with assistance from PAC staff. Store hours open to the public are 10-11 a.m. and noon to 1:30 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Proceeds from items sold at Racks By PAC will help fund Community Integration Outings for SERV’s consumers with developmental disabilities, said Gary van Nostrand, President and CEO of SERV Behavioral Health System. Trips may include visits to the New Jersey State Museum and Planetarium in Trenton, Washington Crossing State Park, New Jersey State Aquarium in Camden, science and art museums in Philadelphia and New York, and other places of interest.

SERV Behavioral Health System Inc., headquartered in Ewing, is a private, nonprofit behavioral health-care organization serving adults and children throughout New Jersey who are working to recover from and cope with a serious mental illness or developmental disability.   SERV has offices in Mercer, Middlesex, Hudson, Passaic and Union counties, as well as operations in Burlington, Monmouth and Ocean counties.

SERV’s Progressive Achievement Center provides teaching, training and support to individuals with developmental disabilities and youth with behavioral challenges and emotional problems. All services promote individual responsibility, increase self-reliance and teach individuals and their families the skills necessary for living and working successfully in the community.

To donate home décor items to Racks At PAC, call Wanda Young, PAC employment specialist, at (609) 662-3229.