Officer Cruz and his cleanup crew head out across Monroe County in the Poconos week in, week out. The van's lights flash warnings to drivers to watch for the men and women of Pocono 3C.

Picking litter of all sorts from the roadside, we spent some time with Dave, who's been with Pocono 3C for about a year.

Jim: What kind of things does it give you?
Dave: Well, me, I could stay work ethics. I can manage my time because it forces you to get up, gives you something to look forward to, money-wise. Consider the situation at hand.

For many in this program, in operation for six whole years in 2025, the situation is often about dignity. Street2Feet clients in need of a way to earn $100 a day. The money—a means to support themselves through struggles to stay housed. The job—a way to work toward a full-time job and stable housing.

Dave: The program itself, the way they run it, is good. Yeah, especially with Officer Cruz, because he lightens the mood.

Over the years, the Pocono 3C crew has done its work quietly—racking up more than 1,300 miles of roadway cleaned and removing 26,000 bags of litter. That's enough to fill a football field end zone to end zone, stacked ten feet high!

The tires, the syringes—gone thanks to Pocono 3C. Gained in it all, in the case of Elisha Spencer—a new chance at life.

"To be honest, I had no clue what 3C was, but I'm very thankful that I did come across that place and the person who told me about it, because I wouldn't be where I'm at now if it wasn't for the people at 3C," said Spencer. "And if it wasn't for Officer Cruz, and if it wasn't for everybody at the Municipal Authority building, I wouldn't be here talking with you and this nice uniform."

Elisha is one of about two dozen Pocono 3C participants who found steady work and a home. Speak to him for a short while, and you get the sense that Elisha is thankful beyond measure.

Jim: And you are now an employee of the Waste Authority. How does that feel?

Elisha: It feels pretty good. I remember where I came from, and no one would give me a chance. But, you know, the people at 3C and people at the Municipal Waste Authority, they gave me a chance. And like I said, I'm not going to fail because that's just my ethic. I can't I can't fail. Yeah. You know, and they gave me an opportunity to try it and… And I won't let them down. That's just… just how it has to be. Because no one else would give me a chance. And they were the only people that did. And I'm very grateful.

These days, Elisha welcomes visitors to the recycling center on Military Road, helping them sort things out and taking things apart to be renewed. A continuation of the hard work he showed with Pocono 3C—now with this nice uniform and smile.

"Introducing myself to new people that come here, you know, got to make them feel welcome, feel friendly and everything is easygoing and everything is convenient for them. So it just trickled down to this new position," said Spencer. "So it's like a lot of positive people around me that helped me get here. So I can't really take all the credit. I was going to say, though, you deserve a lot of credit too. I still feel like I need to do more because there's a lot to be done. As though, even though I'm in a way better position—way better position than I was before—I still feel as though I could be in a way more, better position, you know, for me and my daughter's sake. So I'm going to keep on pushing, you know?"

As Elisha—and others—reach milestones in their lives, Pocono 3C keeps moving forward in the community, caring for those in its company.