Southwest Virginia’s hometown heroes raised $38,500 during their annual ice hockey game.

It is hope that helped Keith Farmer find his calling to serve inner-city kids in difficult situations throughout the Commonwealth.

The non-profit said at least 240 backpacks have been donated so far, and some of the donated bags will be given directly to students. The rest will go out to schools as donations.

Street Ransom, a ministry of Straight Street in Roanoke, focuses on helping sex trafficking survivors and training the community on how to spot the signs before it’s too late. Spokesperson Rebekah Marquez wanted to stress that human trafficking doesn’t always look like the examples we see in movies, but it’s definitely happening in our country and even in southwest Virginia. Marquez told 10 News traffickers usually know the person they exploit and build a relationship with them before the abuse starts. Right now, Street Ransom is collecting blankets, towels, snacks, toiletries and more to make hope bags for a statewide initiative for recovering survivors. If you think you know someone who is being exploited or involved in human trafficking you can also reach out to the national hotline, 1-888-373-7888.