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Miguel A. Torres has 13 bullets in his body. He received all of them throughout his life of crime and addiction. When Torres was close to adding another crime to his long record, he heard a voice somewhere that told him to stop. On that day, Torres entered a small store on the corner of State and 5th streets in North Camden to commit an assault. Torres thought the voice he heard at that moment was God's, which made him stop. Twenty years after that decisive day, Torres -- today a minister -- directs a program called My Brother's Keeper Inc., a Christian organization that offers rehabilitation services to drug addicts. My Brother's Keeper is based at 502 State St., in front of the store Torres would have robbed two decades ago. The area today is among those with the most drug activity in the city. The organization also has another office in the Dominican Republic. The rehabilitation program is managed by Oscar Hernandez who, like Torres, was born in Puerto Rico and also sank to the depths of drugs and crime during his life. Hernandez recalls the time he contemplated suicide after finding himself in a wheelchair with his legs destroyed. Drugs had turned him into a shell of his former self. It was then that Torres rescued him from his personal hell. Hernandez has been with My Brother's Keeper for 10 years. In its 20 years, the program has rescued more than 10,000 drug-abuse victims, Hernandez says. Often, drug addicts are referred to My Brother's Keeper by various organizations and churches. Others do not wait to be sent there -- they seek help on their own. The program's methodology is based on Christianity. Men spend four months in the State Street facility, and women are housed elsewhere. From the beginning, patients receive counseling directed toward faith in God, Bible lectures and prayer. Three meetings take place in the on-site chapel every day. Participants have a strict schedule for personal hygiene, meals, the cleaning of the building and study. Besides studying the word of God, participants learn about computers and get other training that will help them obtain jobs when they complete the program. Its goal is for participants to be ready to re-enter society as productive and self-sufficient individuals after four months. The program's fee is $12.09 daily for those who can afford it. Those without the means to pay are not charged. Like other nonprofits, the organization has difficulty with funding. The monthly cost for one person to receive My Brother's Keeper's services is $1,074. The program is funded by churches and nonprofits but not by governmental agencies because it is a religious entity. Everyone who works at the facility is a volunteer; even the program's administrator. Hernandez and his family live on a monthly Social Security stipend. Many who have completed the program have re-entered society successfully and found work. Juan Gonzalez Roman, 28, was in Puerto Rico in 2007. He had spent five years in jail in his home country and nearly became a human carcass after taking so many drugs. The mix of heroine and horse anesthesia had filled his arms and legs with smelly wounds. He asked for help and a pastor friend of the family connected him with My Brother's Keeper. Gonzalez arrived in Camden on Feb. 20 to enter the program. Today, he is recovered and does not resemble the pitiful man who walked the streets of San Juan. He rented an apartment and is studying to become a carpenter. He also works in a bakery and helps My Brother's Keeper during his free time. Gonzalez happens to be an excellent cook. Gonzalez says My Brother's Keeper rescued him from hell. Lizetha Rudgers is a nurse, but she was once lost in the world of drugs. Now fully recovered, Rudgers volunteers at My Brother's Keeper and helps women. Luis Velasco, 19, arrived from Mexico 18 months ago. He had used drugs in his home country, but his problem worsened when he came to Camden. He has been with the program for a month; he feels well and understands he can overcome his problem. My Brother's Keeper also organizes charitable events. On Thanksgiving, it will give away 250 turkey baskets to poor families in North Camden. The baskets will cost My Brother's Keeper $6,250, for which it is accepting donations of cash or food. Reach Alonso Heredia at (856) 486-2919 or aheredia@courierpostonline.com