LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Tyresha and Charmaine aren’t your typical baristas. They’re packing, labeling, and shipping out bags of SafeNest Coffeeto their customers in a journey to financial independence.
“I just to make a change in my life, and make my own money,” Charmaine said. “It’s not easy at all, especially with kids and doing it on your own.”
“I actually love it,” Tyresha said. “It’s something I wanted to do.”
The working mothers are employees under the Sip for a Survivor program: an initiative by SafeNest. The non-profit is dedicated to helping victims of domestic abuse.
“Money ties survivors to their abusers,” said Joy Hoover, a SafeNest Coffee Consultant. “So if they’re making their own money and they’re independent, they have more choices and agencies over their decisions.”
For years, Nevada ranked No. 1 in the country in the number of victims killed by their abusers. Now, Nevada is No. 4. Nearly 44 percent of Nevadan women and 32 percent of Nevadan men experiencing domestic violence, and the pandemic made it worse. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine reported that domestic violence cases increased by 25 to 33 percent globally in 2020. Economic instability is a common factor preventing a victim from leaving his or her abuser.
Safenest coffee pays employees $15 an hour, and the program teaches them valuable job skills in sales, marketing, and communications. The program sells two flavors: Confidence and Independence. It’s fitting for both Tyresha and Charmaine, who are brewing the confidence and financial independence for a better future.
Orders for coffee bags can be made at SafeNest Coffee.
