JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — Yvette Davis has been hard at work to open the International Veterans Empowerment Thrift Store.

“We've gotten a lot of donations, the public has been really good to us,” Davis says.

As she continues her work to help veterans struggling with mental health problems, Davis has filled her store with donations from all over, most notably Kimball's Furniture, Infant of Prague, JCPenney, and Sam's Club, along with numerous individual donations.

“We accept everything, household appliances, electronics,” she says.

While her long term goal is for the money earned to pay for mental health services, the store has become a refuge for veteran customers and volunteers.

“I've gotten so many. Some of them are not volunteers, just customers who just come in here to talk to me about all of the hardships they have went through,” Davis says.

One of the volunteers helping Davis is Jeff Wilson, a veteran who has struggled with feelings of hopelessness and PTSD among other things.

“I find it to be another opportunity for guys like myself or females like myself that are out there looking for assistance and/or support, and this is a secondary source, it guides people like myself in other directions to get the assistance that they need,” he says.

Wilson connected with Davis because of his compassion for her after hearing about the loss of her son.

“Her story, what she dealt with, and what countless other people are dealing with, the same story, even within myself, but some people are all alone dealing with it,” he says.

Wilson's hoping that more people will continue to donate to the thrift store, and Davis says even though the store appears full, there are still plenty of donations they can receive.

“My hope for the remainder of the year is to generate enough funds so I can try to send my first veteran to see a private doctor, so please come out and support us,” she says.

The International Veterans Empowerment Thrift Store is located at 1200 Gum Branch Road in Jacksonville.