LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) — The Hub Lafayette-Urban Ministries is on a mission to give everyone in need a restored life especially during COVID-19.

“We are in it more for the long haul of trying to help restoration and that relationship with Christ and see yourself different and make that opportunity to move from this area to that area,” said Director Teri Gore. “Our prayer is that the community that we live in falls in love with itself.”

The Hub is broken down into two branches, The Lovewell and Purchased: Not For Sale. It’s a home of restoration for those who are homeless and impoverished and also for women and children involved in sex trafficking.

Teri continues, “We spend a lot of our time building relationships with hopes to instill value in them like on how Jesus sees them.”

The Lovewell center welcomes those in need with a meal, a place to worship, and resources to build their self-esteem. Those who participate in the activities would receive points they can exchange for clothes and hygiene products.

“So we usually get men’s and women’s gently used clothes, shoes, belts, and brand new undergarments,” she says.

Among the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hub had to find another way to meet the needs of their friends. They have been working diligently alongside volunteer groups active in disaster to provide food for the homeless in downtown Lafayette and those who have been placed in hotels after being released from chicot state park.

“We did 374 bags this past Monday, and prior to that, we were doing bags of protein twice a week so we would do four meals in a bag. All those items we collected, so our friends can get from us, but we just needed in such a volume,” Gore says.

They will continue to strive to meet the needs of their friends during this critical time and hopes to expand their services in the near future.

Gore concludes, “The essentials that you and I can go wash, our friends may not have access to that, and so just being able to give that to them as a gift. Just to say that ‘Hey, we miss you.’ You know, just, we want you to know we were thinking about you and then doing a drive for a bunch of hygiene items and food items so as we integrate back into Monday nights.”

If you would like to, you can donate to The Hub Lafayette Urban Ministries.