Food festival brings attention to human trafficking

Gators Against Human Trafficking hosted its third annual international food festival at the Civic Media Center in Downtown Gainesville.

The event was held to raise awareness about human trafficking in a light-hearted and conversational way. Guests were encouraged to talk about the serious topic while enjoying delicious food and presentations by various speakers.

"In the past three years, 18 traffickers have been processed here in Gainesville alone. That's a lot for three years in a small, little sleepy college town," said Caitlin Barreto, President of GAHT.

All the food and raffle items at the event were donated to GAHT by local businesses, like Mi Apa and Domino's.

Proceeds raised during the event went to Created Gainesville, a local ministry organization that works to fight human trafficking and counsel women.

"We think that we can do a lot more, but we need people to know that it's happening to do something," Barreto said.