SOURCE: Catholic Charities
A group of more than a dozen hairstylists from various local salons are donating their services and time to offer free haircuts to local people who can’t afford them. The first ever “Haircuts from the Heart” event is happening from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 20th in St. Vincent’s Dining Room at 325 Valley Road in downtown Reno. The haircuts will be offered first-come, first-served to anyone who needs a fresh haircut and doesn’t have means to pay for one. The brand new event was created after St. Vincent’s staff recognized a dire need for this service.
“At our annual Project Homeless Connect (PHC) event in February, the haircuts were the most popular service by far. We had so many people who told us it was the only haircut they’d have all year, so we knew we needed to provide this service more often,” says Anne Schiller, Director of Program Operations at Catholic Charities.
Local hairstylist Cadye Allen, who works for national franchise Fantastic Sams, was one of the volunteers at PHC, and she says she was taught in school at Paul Mitchell to always give back to the community you live in. She says she loved every moment of volunteering and couldn’t wait to help out again.
“I was cutting hair as fast as I could so I could get as many people through my line as possible. I believe in karma. It felt good to be able to help people,” says Allen.
The goal for the event is for stylists to cut as many people’s hair as possible in the four-hour time frame. Allen says if each stylist can do six haircuts in an hour, they could reach as many as 240 people. She says she hopes the haircuts will lead to a cleaner, more professional look for people, and ultimately, a chance to become employed.
“If this is the one thing that’s holding someone back from getting a job, then I truly hope it makes a difference for them,” says Allen.
Clients who receive haircuts at the event are also invited for a free meal at St. Vincent’s Dining Room. Lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
