In a Twin Cities warehouse, thousands of thrown-away mattresses lacked purpose, but Second Chance Recycling is giving the inventory new life.

The company recycles over 90,000 mattresses annually and creates more than 100 jobs.

“We only throw away about 10% of the mattress. Everything gets recycled and turned into something else,” Kenrick Shell, Second Chance Recycling operations manager, said. “This keeps things out of the landfill. It gives other people jobs.”

The company employs formerly incarcerated Minnesotans who struggle to find an employer to hire them.

Shell tried to re-enter society and find a job, but the doors kept closing.

“Somewhat hard and embarrassing, because every time I would say something and talk about my background, they were like, ‘Okay, well, thank you. Have a nice day,’” Shell said.

For the last six years, he climbed the ladder at the company and rebuilt the foundation to start a new life.

“It changed my life. Over the last couple years, my wife and I just bought a house. We just got married,” he said.

Advocates explained that having a stable job and a place to lay your head is the difference between homelessness and hope.

“We’re instilling hope into folks that seem hopeless,” Marvin Clark, Second Chance Recycling program manager, said.

Clark has guided hundreds of formerly incarcerated Minnesotans since 1999.

Second Chance offers wrap-around services to fill the gaps of lost time, reducing the chances of reoffending.

Clark explained that the demand for employment and other resources is growing.

“It doesn’t matter what the crimes are, we’re going to find a way and find the resources to serve these individuals,” Clark said.

There are also Twin Cities organizations looking out for the families of those who were imprisoned.

Peace of Hope, a North Minneapolis-based nonprofit, is dedicated to making sure families who house their loved ones following incarceration are supported.

“We offer programming and resources for families of the imprisoned to be an intricate part of successful re-entry back into society for persons formerly incarcerated,” Sharon Brooks, Peace of Hope founder and CEO, said in a statement.

Second Chance Recycling is having an open house on Saturday, April 26, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in honor of Earth Day.

The public can take a tour at Second Chance Recycling, located at 1179 15th Avenue Southeast in Minneapolis, to get a firsthand look at the recycling process for mattresses.

Attendees can also visit Furnish Office & Home at 850 15th Avenue Northeast in Minneapolis during the same timeframe to see how recycled materials are turned into new products.