Top: Women participating in the STOP program help deliver boxes of food at a Dayton-area food bank. Bottom: STOP participants clear debris left behind from tornadoes.

Top: Women participating in the STOP program help deliver boxes of food at a Dayton-area food bank. Bottom: STOP participants clear debris left behind from tornadoes.

When destructive tornadoes tore through western Ohio this week, an unlikely group jumped into action to help those who lost everything.

The Secure Transitional Offender Program (STOP), administered through Montgomery County Common Pleas Court, sent 30 residents into the community to assist with clean-up efforts. STOP is a supervised drug and alcohol intervention program where men and women can fight their addictions and also provide community service.

“We all hear about disasters hitting our neighborhoods and towns, but I have never seen such devastation,” Terri Hawk, a probation manager with the program, said about the storms.

“The STOP residents helped families and removed debris from homes in the Clayton/Trotwood area. It gave them a better appreciation for doing well in their community,” Hawk said.

The STOP program, which operates out of a closed prison facility in Montgomery County, houses 96 men and women. Many come to the program after failing drug treatment the first time, and a judge requires a more intensive setting managed by the county. This week’s storms served as a perfect opportunity for the group to give back, as they were welcomed openly by the community.

“There were many who stopped to drop off water, chips, snack, and cookies for the residents to thank them for their hard work,” she said.

STOP, which started in 2002, offers drug treatment, mental and behavioral health services, and job training and educational programs.