MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A single mother got a helping hand from someone she never expected, and it’s helping her keep her small business afloat.
Terri Flemming’s business, So Nuts & Confections in the Crosstown Concourse, wasn’t making the money it once did. She didn’t even have enough to buy ingredients to make her sweet treats.
“All of a sudden, business went down. I was tanking fast,” she said. “I just knew in my heart that God would answer my prayer.”
She was packing up to head to Texas but, before she left, she visited Hope Church in Cordova. There, she heard Pastor Craig Strickland tell his congregation that he had just visited Crosstown Concourse.
“I immediately became so saddened because that prior week I had abandoned my business,” she said.
So she reached out.
“I emailed him. I told him my story. That I need spiritual advice,” said Fleming.
Strickland said he was touched by the humanity of her story.
“I thought I could help. A number of my friends have a non-profit, and we look to help minority-owned businesses,” he said.
Tuesday, Strickland went to the grocery store and bought supplies. Just like that, she was back in business.
“He came in here and acted like an angel,” Flemming said.
Members of the church have spotted Strickland behind the counter — “I tell them the story and they say, ‘Can I help?”