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About Jackson herald. (Jefferson, Jackson County, Ga.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (April 12, 2023)
PAGE 12A THE JACKSON HERALD WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2023 Tree House hosts annual ‘A Night of Hope for Children’ Photos submitted The Tree House hosted its annual “A Night of Hope for Children” on March 24, raising over $154,000 for the non-profit group. The 25th annual event featured a live and silent auction, in addition to a dinner. “Thank you to our sponsors, auction item donors, dinner guests, and raffle ticket purchasers for making this possible,” Tree House auction chairman Sandra Holliday said. “Proceeds from “A Night of Hope for Children” go directly to support the programs and services of The Tree House, Inc. whose mission is to strengthen communities by reducing the impact and occurrence of child abuse through counseling, educating, supporting, and nurturing children and families.” The Tree House supports Banks, Barrow and Jackson counties, in addition to the surrounding communities. Guests stop for a photo at “A Night of Hope for Auctioneer Chris Maddox leads the auction with Children.” Candice Crook assisting. _ Guests look over silent auction items at “A Night of Hope for Children.” Tree House staff Jessica Davis and Ida Segars are pictured at the Tree House event. Pictured at The Tree House event are: Sherry McCallum, board member, Cathy Loggins, Tree House staff, and Tina Mingus, staff. Blending Up Goodness: South Jackson woman turns love for herbs into tea business Precious Jones, owner of MEplusTEA. By Alex Buffington alex@mainstreetnews.com A South Jackson wom an has turned a lifelong interest in herbs into a full-time business. The company, MEplus TEA, offers a variety of hand-blended, loose-leaf tea products. Precious Jones, owner of MEplusTEA. launched the company in 2017. It's now grown to become her full-time job. Jones previ ously worked in corporate America after studying graphic design, but she soon learned that career wasn’t her cup of tea. Jones said she grew up learning about gar dening, plants, herbs and their medicinal qualities. She became interested in loose-leaf teas and started making her own blends using locally-grown herbs. “We started networking and working with oth er local growers,” Jones said. She also started formulating different tea blends and working with herbalists. “...And ME plusTEA was born.” The business started with five blends. It has expanded to include over 30 different blends today. There’s a huge variety available, from caffeinat- ed tea blends to decaffein ated herbal blends. “Our most popular, by far, is the creamy Earl,” Jones said. “It’s our ver sion of Earl Gray.” Jones’ favorite blend named “Peace and Love” contains a mix of herbs — ranging from hibiscus and rooibos honeybush to lavender and lemon balm. She likes to have a cup of the “Peace and Love” blend during her “me time” when she’s trying to relax, but not ready to go to sleep yet. A couple of blends have been the result of happy accidents, including their “Happy to be Me” blend. “When creating this blend, we were shooting for our own version of sorrel. We didn’t quite hit the mark with sorrel, but our focus group (a bunch of teenagers) loved it so we decided to keep it,” according to the MEplus TEA website. “Happy to Be Me is a hibiscus-based tea blend that is load ed with the sweetness of pineapples, coconuts and apples. The best way we can describe it is like hav ing a cup of pina colada.” Their “Winter Bliss” tea (which they tried to shape after a Russian tea) also didn’t turn out as they’d initially expected, but they decided to keep it on the list because they enjoyed it. “I put it together the way I thought it made sense to go, but it’s didn’t come out tasting anything like a Russian tea,” she said. “But I liked it.” The company’s tea blends include a large range of styles. They’ve got everything from “But terfly Lemonade” and “Turmeric and Ginger,” to the more well-known Earl gray or chamomile teas. Some of the blends also aim for certain medicinal qualities, like their “Flu Fighter” or “Nausea Re lief’ blends. Whatever the blend, Jones always ensures the tea is made with the best products. She sources a lot of ingredients from lo cal farmers. “I can control exactly what I get,” Jones said of Hand-blended tea working with local farms. “Just knowing that I’m offering the best possible product that I can is im portant to me.” When she does have to order herbs online, she makes sure they’re grown organically. Jones hopes they’ll be able to expand the com pany to grow more of their own ingredients. They currently grow on a one-acre lot, but hope to expand so they can grow all of their own medicinal herbs. MORE INFORMATION To purchase online or find out more about ME plusTEA. visit https:// www.meplustea.com The website also includes a list of locations you can buy the tea in-person. Subscribe at JacksonHeraldTODAY.Com Delivery Address_ City State Check Enclosed $_ . Email (for access to web site)_ Or charge to: □ Visa DMasterCard DAMXCard# Billing Address (if different from delivery address) City State_ _Amt Charged_ Exp. Date_ Signature_ Local News - In whatever format you prefer Yes! Sign me up for one year of: The Jackson Herald $ 45/year - 52 issues* (55 and older is just $40/year) Please mail to: Subscriptions The Jackson Herald P.O. Box 908 Jefferson, GA 30549 and USPS delivery is included in prices. Offer is good for new & existing customers. Please allow two weeks for processing. Or mail in this coupon Name Phone
