Need a back-to-school haircut? Local barbers giving away free cuts for Lakewood kids
LAKEWOOD – A group of local barbers are giving away free haircuts and school supplies to elementary and intermediate school students at Town Square on Aug. 21 and 28.
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The haircuts are being offered without appointment between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. both days to any student regardless of whether they attend private or public school.
Edgar Gallegos, owner of E.G.’s Barbershop and Spa, organized the event along with his colleague, Victor Mendoza, and used his own money to purchase 100 backpacks that he filled with notebooks, pencils and other supplies.
“Given the economic hardship that the Latino community here (faces), I just wanted to give back to the community where I grew up,” Gallegos said.
While Gallegos owns a barbershop, he only works as a barber during the summer. The rest of the year he works as a teaching aide at Clifton Avenue Grade School.
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Last year, he came up with the idea of giving free haircuts to local students after he noticed some students, often from low-income backgrounds, were more likely to show up to school ungroomed.
“It’s very nice when kids show up to school well groomed, so I came up with this idea. I reached out to friends that are barbers and last year was when we first started giving haircuts for free before classes would start. It makes me happy,” he said.
Mendoza, 27, who is locally known as Vic Fade because of his affinity for fade cuts, also had the same idea in mind. He believes that giving back to the community is what he's meant to do. Besides organizing the back-to-school haircuts giveaway last year and again this year, he also offered free haircuts to homeless people in Lakewood.
“It’s a blessing to serve by simply doing what I love. I want to help out the community and make a positive impact on kids,” he said.
Raised in Lakewood, Mendoza, has been asking fellow barbers to join the initiative.
On Aug. 14, when they first started giving away haircuts this summer, there were five volunteer barbers. On Aug. 21, he expects seven barbers to take part, he said.
“This is a great idea because as a single mother I sometimes don’t have the money for haircuts and back to school expenses can be hard,” said Lakewood resident Alivia Worthy, who last week brought her first grader for a haircut and some supplies.
Juan Carlos Castillo is a reporter covering everything Lakewood. He delves into politics, social issues and human-interest stories. Reach out to him at JcCastillo@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Lakewood NJ: Barbershops giving free haircuts for students
