An Unlikely Friendship
JERRY TAYLOR & BRANDYE BENAVIDESBrandye Benavides and her daughter sat down and asked themselves a big question. “How can we help?” They had been serving with Young Lives, an organization whose mission is to support pregnant and parenting teens, but felt they could do more. So she and her daughter started collecting items for babies and new moms in their garage.
Their operation grew, and the garage could no longer hold all of the clothes, mattresses, and toys that were donated. Brandye moved to a few different spaces until her most recent search led her to The Village. Through TVC’s partnership with YoungLives, Brandye was able to obtain space in the shopping center for young moms to come and get the support they need.
And this is where she met Jerry Taylor. Jerry manages Vape & Leaf next door to Brandye’s Baby Shop, and the two became fast friends.
“He’s brilliant. He’s become like my big brother,” Brandye said.
Once Jerry realized the help Brandye was providing to the young moms of Flower Mound, he lit up with excitement. He has helped her hang shelves, organize her shop, and has provided the camaraderie small business owners need with each other.
“I think the big question is, ‘What is it hurting me to help?’” said Jerry. “The church has a nice way of saying it, and no offense to the church, but it’s actually going to stick in their brains more with me than it will with y’all. They expect it from y’all, but they do not expect to come into a vape shop and see them trying to help organizations.”
At the front of Vape & Leaf there is a large box of baby socks and shoes Jerry and his customers had been collecting, and he plans to rotate out the list of needs based on what he hears from Brandye throughout the year.
One of Jerry’s customers inquired about what was going on next to him, and Jerry explained Brandye’s whole operation. Little did he know that the customer’s teenage niece was outside in the car. She was pregnant and living with her aunt. They didn’t know what they were going to do. So, Jerry connected them with Brandye, and this young mom is getting counseling, baby clothes, bottles, blankets, toys, and whatever else she might need for her and her baby.
The Baby Shop experience is centered around dignity—dignity for the women and the children. Items given are not dirty, full of holes, or even marked with another baby's name. She wants these moms to experience the joy of getting something unique for their babies.
The Baby Shop works with three organizations—Blue Haven Ranch, Young Lives, and Embrace Grace. Once the teen moms complete their time with these organizations, they get a time to come shop with other women they have been connecting with. There is food, shopping, and a bunch of people present to help and love on these moms.
“We live in a community,” Brandye said, “where so many people would be able to give if they just knew how.”
Jerry sure knows how. He tells people daily about the opportunity to take care of our community’s kids. God is at work in these two shops. He is bringing people together for the good of others.
If you are interested in donating to The Baby Shop, please contact Brandye Benavides at 940-312-3517. Or if you run into Jerry, don’t worry, he’ll tell you all about it.
