Metaphorical and actual storms have swept through our country in 2020 and impacted us all.  In Orange Mound, it’s stormy weather all the time for a single mom.   Poor choices made, trajectory miscalculated, hopes dashed, fate cast, all add up to hard challenges in less than desirable living locales here. The hope for economic stability for a young single mom in our neighborhood is depressing. Forty percent of female-led households live at or below the poverty line. The media

The raging storms may round us beat/A shelter in the time of storm/We'll never leave our safe retreat /A shelter in the time of storm. But for the fact that these words were written more than one hundred years before Danyelle was born, the composer, Vernon Charlesworth, could have been writing about her life.“God just kept telling me to hold on and keep the faith and continue to do your work here in this world,” Danyelle says describing how she had persevered thro

Last Monday, one of our employees discovered that her voting rights had been re-instated. She brought her Voter Registration Card to show it off to us, and she flashed it around like a $500.00 bill.  There was whooping and hollering and rejoicing throughout The House.  It was as if the 1920 Women’s Suffrage Movement had marched right through our kitchen. One-third of our employees at My Cup of Tea have never voted because they have been dragging the shame and baggage of a

Deborah is an accomplished seamstress at My Cup of Tea. Meticulous stitching and eye-catching patterns characterize Deborah’s masterpieces. Tea cozies, aprons, tea towels and her latest creation, hot and cold therapy wraps, were perfected through years of training that began in the seventh grade and continued three hours per day through high school.“When I was in high school, I wanted to be a fashion designer,” says Deborah, “But life’s changes brought me to a sta

Love your neighbor… and your neighbor’s children.“There should be no other limit to exercising kindness to my neighbor than the end of my resources.” -John CalvinA huge swath of Orange Mound is currently sorting out the tensions of virtual school with laptops, Internet connectivity and child care, all while breadwinning. Small businesses in Orange Mound are sorting through the CARES Act (Coronavirus, Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act) in order to squeeze a breat

Some of our customers and supporters already know Bretta from her short video clips, Tea Tips. But like all of the women who work at My Cup of Tea, Bretta is a complex and extraordinary woman with a story to tell.

Morning routines can set the tone for the rest of your day. By creating a relaxing morning routine, you can have time for all of your favorite things while still being productive, including morning strolls, warm tea, and more.

     Strong arms, shrewdness, and nurturing ways are prized virtues of the woman esteemed in Proverbs 31.  I have always thought the quintessential virtuous woman is tireless, teaches in the church nursery and is in two Bible studies, one of which she leads. I conjure that she shows good stewardship when she respectfully sends her family’s outgrown clothes dry cleaned on wire hangers to the convenient clothes closet for poor people. In my mind, I am confident she and he

The terms COVID-19 and National Iced Tea Day probably have never been uttered in the same sentence until now. Yet, in 2020, it won’t surprise anyone that two seemingly unrelated things have collided to bring about a “new normal”. On Wednesday, June 10th, National Iced Tea Day, My Cup of Tea will begin shipping its products for free to any customer in the Memphis Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).“Concerns about COVID-19 have made it more difficult for our customers to

Looking for a unique local gift for the moms in your life for Mother's Day? Check out our selection of great gift ideas at My Cup of Tea!

COVID-19 is a civil rights issue. Why? Because it's affecting our African-American communities in much more devastating ways. We discuss over on the blog.

Fox13 recently featured My Cup of Tea in their news broadcast, showcasing the work they are doing in Orange Mound.