“God gave the best of Himself to rescue us in our own brokenness. Every act of charity should reflect this model.”
Cheryl Guffey, Co-Founder/Director of The HUB Mission Ministry, Inc.
Supplying faith-based charities with the essentials to support people emerging from addiction, isolation, poverty and hopelessness is the central mission of The HUB Mission Ministry. The HUB, founded by Jim and Cheryl Guffey in 2011, is a volunteer ministry in Mustang, Oklahoma, that provides new and gently-used resources to charities reaching hurting people in every corner of the community. By hand-cleaning, restoring, sorting and packaging donated items with thought and care for the ultimate recipient, volunteers demonstrate that every human being has inherent worth in the eyes of the Creator. In the words of co-founder, Cheryl Guffey: “’Acts of charity’ have been replaced by ‘removal of waste’ in our culture; but the biblical meaning of charity is God’s love. Our response to that love should be honor. ‘Charity’ is giving our best ‘to the least of these.’ Our goal is to attach true charity to every item we place in the hands of another ministry.”
The HUB in Action
The HUB is a faith-based non-profit Volunteer Center where donated items are processed and then distributed to over 100 other hand-selected charity partners in central Oklahoma. Guffey states, “We identify the precise needs at 
each partner’s facility, and then begin supplying those needs with quality items that are donated to us. You might say that The HUB is a behind-the-scenes volunteer staff supporting multiple charities by managing donated items so the charities can focus their attention on the on ‘heart’ issues of the community.”
The HUB is run entirely by volunteers who process nearly 100,000 donated items per year. All donations are free of charge to its charity partners. No items are sold or discarded. If an item unusable, it is provided to a local charity that raises funds by recycling. “Every donated item has a home within our network of partners,” says Guffey. “We’ve simply done the research to know where donations have the greatest impact so that nothing goes to waste.”
Donations to The HUB range from basic necessities such as groceries, clothing. toiletries and home decor, to larger items such as furniture and appliances. All donations are cleaned or restored before being packaged for delivery to the appropriate partner. Groceries are distributed to local food pantries with the greatest need. The HUB even stores refrigerators, freezers, washers and dryers in order to provide appliances in case of an emergency at a food pantry or group home. When a charity partner receives an unsuitable item, The HUB reroutes it to the appropriate partner.
Furniture, appliances, and household essentials are placed with non-profits that provide long-term housing for individuals and families. Donated artwork and furniture lend an invaluable sense of “home” to residents in long-
term mentorships. HUB volunteers take great care to make sure they create a truly inviting space so that people feel at home the moment they step through the door. “One of the most rewarding parts of our job at The HUB is to create a place of peace and security for a hurting family so that everyone involved can relax and begin to rebuild. Just as our heavenly Father has invited us into the safety of His home, we extend that hope to families here in central Oklahoma,” says Guffey.
A Beautiful Friendship
The HUB’s desire to reach vulnerable and marginalized people through existing faith-based charities makes partnership with Beautiful Dream Society a natural fit. The Guffeys first noticed BDS on Facebook and felt compelled to aid the effort. “We are particularly interested in helping faith-based mentorships who invest in transitional housing programs for people in need of restoration through long-term Christian discipleship. Human trafficking was one sector in which we did not 
have any ministry partners at the time. It’s been our honor to work with BDS over the past couple of years.”
Beautiful Dream Society has benefitted from this partnership by receiving personal hygiene products and clothing for the women in our care in Oklahoma City. The HUB has also provided art supplies and craft workshops to the residents of BDS; however, the potential for partnership does not end there. “We would also like to explore the need for basic household necessities at BDS, once a person is ready to transition out of the residential program.”
In addition to assisting Beautiful Dream Society, The HUB furnishes 21 residences for Hope House OKC, and Catholic Charities’ transitional homes and Refugee Resettlement Program.
Multi-Faceted Approach to Ending Human Trafficking
The HUB Mission Ministry supports organizations reaching out to vulnerable and marginalized people in many sectors of society, which impacts human trafficking prevention efforts directly and positively. Providing nice clothes
to a person can result in a new job; economic independence can make an individual less vulnerable to being trafficked. Helping provide safe housing to people reduces their likelihood of falling prey to traffickers who offer a false way out of desperate circumstances. Supporting ministries who take care of an individual’s immediate needs can keep one more individual safe from a trafficker’s manipulations.
The HUB Mission Ministry’s partnership with Beautiful Dream Society has provided not only necessities for women coming out of a human sex trafficking situation, but also invaluable encouragement and support. We are glad to have them as allies in the work to end human trafficking.
To find out more about this ministry and to learn how you can be a part, visit http://thehubmm.org/. Find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheHUBMissionMinistry/. Donation hours: Saturdays, 9AM – 4PM. Volunteer hours: Weekdays and Saturdays by appointment.