This week, Crossover Ministries will hold its seventh annual appreciation banquet.

Opened in 2005, Crossover is an eight-month, faith-based addiction recovery program. The program includes four months of residential treatment followed by four months of aftercare.

Crossover’s recovery plan includes work, study, life skills and Bible studies.

Crossover’s residents also maintain a nine-acre garden, growing food for those in the program and selling excess to fund the ministry, which depends upon contributions for its existence.

In its six-plus years of existence, the program has helped with drug, alcohol, gambling and other addictions. Recently, Crossover was expanded to include help for women.

As important as this program has been in helping addicts get their lives on track, it will become more important in the near future.

Facing huge cuts as the state struggles to balance its budgets, the state judicial system is supporting legislation that would almost immediately release 3,000 non-violent criminals from the state’s prison system. Other proposed legislation would change sentencing guidelines and create a new class of felonies for which prison would not be the punishment.

Statistics show that the root cause of many of these “non-violent” crimes is the need to support an addiction. Prison time stops the crimes for the short-term, but doesn’t necessarily address the addiction problem.

As more of these criminals are returned to the street, it is more critical than ever that we address addiction. Programs like Crossover are crucial for that process.

There is no charge to attend the appreciation banquet, set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Opp’s First Baptist Church. But there are always financial needs in funding this important program. Show them your appreciation in whatever way that you can.