<Downloadable PDF in the series is forthcoming. In the meantime, please refer to their Blog post>

Publication Date: June 19, 2025

Citation: Roelofse, E., (2025). Moment of Truth Playbook: Black Capital Studies. Institute for Quantum Innovation and Impact, Qii Moment of Truth Series (Qii MOT No. 1-27, published in 2025).

License: Open access under CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0

Available at: https://theqii.org/portfolio/Karmin-Teague

A Community’s Glue

Karmin Teague didn’t wake up one day wanting to run a nonprofit. She just saw too many people hurting and couldn’t look away anymore. When somebody walks through her door with a need, she struggles to say ‘sorry, no’. She finds a way to help.

“I can’t say no—I’ll find a way. I ask God to help, and somehow, He always shows up.”

“This store—this little thrift store—isn’t just about clothes and dishes. It’s healing. For me, and for everyone who walks through the doors.

She walked through fire and then opened the door for others still burning. She remembers. The homeless youth. The woman surviving abuse. The addict rebuilding. She remembers the little 8-year-old girl surviving abuse. None of them deserved it. She didn’t just see the gaps in the system—she lived in them. And she believes God pulled her out so she could hold that door open for others.

“I ask God to help, and somehow, He always shows up. I call it God working through everyday people.”

Draining her 401(k) wasn’t a bold move—it was the only move. And when that still wasn’t enough, she turned to something far more resilient than a bank: social capital.

Dozens of small crowdsourced $25-$50 Kiva loans poured in from all over the community to fill the $5K gap left by a truck. It was a symbol that friends of friends believed the community deserved this engine to move forward.

This was never about resale. It’s about repair. And now, Cedar Valley Thrift and Community Outreach is both a sanctuary and a structure.

“I didn’t wake up one day wanting to run a nonprofit. I just saw too many people hurting and couldn’t look away anymore.”

This is Karmin Teague’s Moment of Truth.