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I'll Gladly Pay You Tuesday...

I'll Gladly Pay You Tuesday...

In 1919, the iconic comic strip, "Popeye the Sailor" appeared, but it wasn’t circulated widely until it debuted in1929 in the daily King Features comic strip, Thimble Theatre. In 1932, fans met the affable, hamburger-loving moocher, J. Wellington Wimpy or Wimpy, for short.

While some younger folks may not know its origin, most people have heard the classic Wimpy catch phrase, “I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.” In fact, wildly popular series like The Office and The Drew Carey Show even incorporated the line into an episode.

In the world of nonprofits, it is easy on some days to feel like a version of Wimpy – asking for help today for the promise of a future return. Unlike Wimpy who is nearly obsessed with securing a hamburger and will not shrink from asking for one, we are sometimes embarrassed to ask you for help.

Most of us reading this blog are well enough resourced that asking for financial help is something we do rarely, if ever. The rugged individualism of our American upbringing tells us to work hard and pull ourselves up from our proverbial bootstraps. So, the idea of asking for money, or much of anything else, is foreign and even disdainful to most of us.

Yet, that is exactly what the ladies of My Cup of Tea have had to do. When they came to the House the very first time, each needed help, and at least initially, it was often in the form of money to pay a utility bill or buy groceries. None have ever feigned a promise of a future return, but they have exuded gratitude.

For our part, we have been privileged to help them, not only with an immediate need, but with an opportunity to improve their lives through dignified work. They have developed genuine friendships and relationships outside of their limited networks. They have experienced food, culture, music, events, and experts with whom they never would have crossed paths. Most importantly, they have deepened their understanding of God’s love for them and persisted in their relationships with Him.

If we’re looking for the tangible, the concrete, we find it in the data:

  • $2 million in wages paid
  • 125,000 hours of dignified work provided
  • 25,000 meals served from the generosity of volunteers,

benefitting more than 100 women and their extended families in this slice of Memphis called Orange Mound.

On Tuesday, December 3rd, nonprofits across the nation recognize Giving Tuesday. It is the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving, and while we’re all feeling more grateful for our loved ones, we hope some will act on that gratitude and donate to a worthy cause. At My Cup of Tea, we typically send an email and post on social media, but Giving Tuesday is not an emphasis for us. But this year is different.

With higher prices and costs for goods and services and less disposable income for most, our bottom line has been impacted. We are not desperate. The doors are not closing, but it is harder than it has been and the prospect of serving more Orange Mound women than those on the payroll today is dimmer than in past years.

As Giving Tuesday, December 3rd approaches, please consider how you might support the work we are doing in Orange Mound. There are two main ways to give: a one-time donation online or by check or monthly through our sustaining donor program, The Blend.

We can’t promise to pay you back the following Tuesday, but we can assure you that we are changing lives one cup at a time.