MUNCIE, Ind. — At Ross Community Center, the sound of scissors snipping and hair dryers filled the air at the “Styled for Stability” event on Saturday, Jan. 24. Care Cuts is a nonprofit that’s new to Delaware County, hosting this event and many more to come.
Actively operating now for four months, Care Cuts has served nearly 230 individuals through haircuts, hygiene kits and job searches. Founder Michael Carroll says it all started with a conversation with a past coworker, a veteran whose son was homeless and had died.
“I could tell that he was very unkempt and hadn’t had a haircut in a while, and so I asked him the question of when the last time he had a haircut was,” Carrol said. “He could not remember when that was.”
He began brainstorming how he could help the population that is in a similar situation.
“What I found is that a lot of people who need haircuts are not getting that service,” Carroll said.
The organization partners with an additional nonprofit, Hygiene Ladies, to give out kits with hygiene products to whoever they serve. Hailee Campbell, co-founder of Hygiene Ladies, met Carroll at the Common Market when he had just started Care Cuts.
“We’ve just kind of been supporting each other as we’re figuring everything out,” Campbell said.
She had the idea after working on her capstone project at Ball State University while pursuing her undergraduate degree in psychology. As the lead facilitator of a support group, she researched community resources.
“There is no place in town that consistently has hygiene supplies, a lot of it comes from shelters, or the Boys and Girls Club or the Indy Hub, but for the Muncie population, it’s not really accessible,” Campbell said.
After collecting donations alone didn’t suffice, she reached out to Ball State professor Kimberly Hennessee to help found the nonprofit. Together, the organizations consistently hold events targeted to people who are experiencing homelessness, poverty and hardship.
“We’re trying to fill the gap between the barber’s chair and getting them mental health help,” Carroll said.
If you are in need of their services, you can visit their website for more information.
Contact Allison Branecki with comments at allison.branecki@bsu.edu.
