Like most people during 2020, Jordyn Tynes and Brittany Rice craved social interaction and connection during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, the duo created a small social group for moms to unwind, connect and find relief from the isolation of the then-ongoing pandemic after connecting with other like-minded moms via Clubhouse, a social networking app.
“It started as a chat on Clubhouse,” says Rice, co-founder of The Mom Cave Co. “We ended up talking about a spot in Broad Ripple where we all just wanted to relax. Everyone just wanted to get back out of the house. We all felt like we had cabin fever going through COVID. We started off more as a social group.”
From there, the group of moms started meeting at Cholita in Broad Ripple for monthly brunches. The moms would rent out the entire bottom area of the store and allow moms to “just have their moment.” Following the meetup’s success, the mom group established a private Facebook group for members to share parenting tips and tricks, as well as to provide a support network for connection and conversation.
As the group grew, so did requests for basic baby essentials like diapers, wipes and clothing via the Facebook group. Tynes and Rice decided to act on those requests and form The Mom Cave, a nonprofit organization focused on helping families access the support and resources they deserve.
“We noticed that we were getting emails or DMs about moms that actually needed items like diapers and wipes,” Rice says. “We got eight of us together and built a board. From there, we built our program, which is the “Mom to The Rescue” program. We’ve had community baby showers and, being official with our 501(c)(3) in 2022, that helped us build more and be able to get grants and funding to really help the women in need.”
Since its early start as a support group for moms, The Mom Cave has evolved into a family-centered organization that also serves fathers, grandparents and other caregivers. The Mom Cave’s programming includes its community baby shower, emergency item assistance, resource fairs and educational workshops, which are all designed to empower and uplift families…