Matching Grant Opportunity for Babe of Wabash County

Babe of Wabash County (Babe), a new organization in Wabash County, is excited to announce that they
are the recipient of a dollar-for-dollar $50,000 matching grant from an anonymous donor that begins May
1, 2021 and ends August 31, 2021. For every dollar Babe raises, their donor will match it up to $50,000.
All donations will directly benefit families and children, ages 0-5, in Wabash County by providing them
with essential items such as diapers and clothing, access to educational programming, and opportunities
to build connections with others. Donations to help Babe meet its $50,000 goal should be made out to the
Community Foundation of Wabash County with Babe of Wabash County in the memo line.
What is Babe of Wabash County? There are two components to Babe; the store and educational classes.
When families participate in activities that benefit their children, such as taking their children to the
library or to the doctor, they will receive a coupon from that vendor. Items at the Babe store including
diapers, wipes, and clothing can then be “purchased” by families through the exchange of coupons.
Additionally, families will be able to take classes around topics like nutrition and parenting, and children
will be able to take classes like storytime. Babe is not an income-based organization, meaning all families
regardless of income are welcome to take classes, shop in the store, and find support and connection from
one another.
The journey to bring Babe to Wabash County began in June of 2019. Babe soon became a fiscally
sponsored project of the Community Foundation of Wabash County in order to operate under the
Foundation’s tax exempt status and issue donors receipts for their gifts. In February of 2021, Babe
submitted their own 501c3 application to the IRS and are awaiting approval. Until then, the Community
Foundation is happy to continue to accept donations on behalf of Babe of Wabash County.
Katey Till is the founder and director of Babe of Wabash County. She was inspired to establish Babe in
Wabash due to her own positive experiences with Babe of Whitley County. “When my children were
young, financially providing for our family was a challenge. My husband was (and still is) a teacher, while
I chose to stay home with our three children. Thankfully, I was introduced to the Babe Store in Whitley
County and found a community of support.” With money being tight in those days, Till expresses how
important it was to have a place like Babe. She said that it made a huge difference for their family. Till
further states, “I could receive things I needed for my children in exchange for coupons I earned by taking
my daughters to the library for storytime. Earning coupons was so easy and I never had to buy things like
diapers for my youngest child because of Babe.”
Babe of Wabash County had a soft opening on April 2oth and a Grand Opening on May 7th. Babe is
currently partnered with 20 various coupon vendors around Wabash County and families can begin
collecting coupons now. A list of vendors who are currently passing out coupons can be found on the
organization’s website at www.babeofwabashcounty.org. The store hours are every Tuesday, 10:00 am-
4:00 pm, and every Thursday, 12:00 pm-6:00 pm. Classes have not yet begun, but Till says that they plan
to start classes in early summer.
So how can you help? Babe is 100% community supported, and starting May 1st until August 31st,
your support of Babe will be doubled! To help Babe of Wabash County meet their $50,000 matching
grant goal, you can do so by donating directly to the Community Foundation at www.cfwabash.org.
Checks can also be sent to the Community Foundation at 105 W. 2nd Street, Suite 100, North
Manchester, IN 46962. Be sure to write Babe of Wabash county on the memo line. If you are interested
in becoming a vendor or a volunteer, contact Katey Till at babeofwabashinc@gmail.com.