SUNBURY, Ohio — When you need a quick caffeine fix, a cup of coffee usually hits the spot, but one coffee shop in Ohio is so much more. 

What You Need To Know

  • Outreach and rescue organization “Out of Darkness” opened a coffee shop in Sunbury 

  • A portion of sales from every cup of coffee go toward helping human trafficking victims 

  • If you or someone you know is being trafficked, call the hotline at 1(888) 373-7888 to get help

"We just kind of knew we really wanted to open a coffee shop,” said Jami Gray.

Gray co-owns Village Coffee of Sunbury, but she considers herself an advocate first, business owner second.

"About ten years ago, I went to a training to just learn about human trafficking,” said Gray. “I didn't know anything about it at the time. And at that time, I heard somebody share their story. At that point, I knew in my gut that it's something that I had to be a part of in some capacity, in some way."

That's when she discovered her true calling in life: to help human trafficking victims.

She's done just that by helping to launch the outreach and rescue organization “Out of Darkness” and now this coffee shop.

"It's not just about, you know, purchasing a cup of coffee like that really does go back to support,” said Gray.

Gray said the money from each cup of coffee goes toward helping victims through "Out of Darkness," especially those coming through the organization's emergency safe home.

But this is just the beginning.

"Eventually, we would love to be able to hire women who've kind of come through the process and are ready to be independent and stand on their own and reclaim their dreams,” said Gray.

For Gray, it's more than a coffee shop but to share a powerful message to human trafficking victims… one cup at a time.

“You’re so worth it. You're not forgotten," Gray said. "You are seen that something that's happened to you does not define who you are and what you are, and that you are a child of God and that you are so worth it and valuable."

In 2021 alone, the National Human Trafficking Hotline reported handling 10,000 cases of human trafficking in the U.S. involving nearly 17,000 victims and survivors. 

If you or someone you know is being trafficked, call the hotline at 1(888) 373-7888 to get help.