by Daniel Johnson
July 31, 2024
Barbers often participate in initiatives like this, offering their services to groom the less fortunate in their community
Young barbers in Atlanta gave out free haircuts to the unhoused during the week of July 28 as part of an initiative run by U Got Next barbershops in Douglas and Paulding counties in Georgia.
According to WSB-TV 2, the young barbers, one of whom is the granddaughter of the shop’s proprietors, Janet and Nicole Maynor, are enjoying giving back to the community in the Atlanta metro area.
The children ranged in age from 11 to 16, and their clients seemed thrilled with the work, as one man named Anthony told the outlet, “I feel like a million dollars. It’s great! It’s an awesome job they’re doing!”
Janet Maynor described the barbershop’s ambitions as an asset to the community and not to take advantage of the unhoused, saying, “This is not a hustle to me. It’s a real deal, Holyfield! It’s also teaching them about life. We’re just out here to give, love, and just be a blessing.”
Nicole focused on what the work was teaching the kids.
“What they see is what they’re going to do as they grow,” she told WSB-TV.
Janet also described what she witnessed from her own grandmother, something she is determined to pass on to her granddaughter, Sky Hoskins, who was one of the juvenile barbers cutting hair at the event.
“I grew up seeing somebody give back. My grandmother was always giving back, so I feel like it’s in my heart,” she said.
Barbers often participate in initiatives like this, offering their services to groom the less fortunate in their community. In January, KHOU-11 profiled the work of Christian Khammany, a Houston barber who sets up shop in Downtown Houston nearly every Monday and Tuesday and cuts the hair of the homeless.
Khammany, who started cutting his own hair at 14 before making a career out of it, told KHOU that he was doing some self-improvement when he thought about using his clippers to give back to the unhoused.
“I don’t always carry cash on me. So one thing I do always carry on me is my clippers,” Khammany told the outlet. “That’s where I thought about it. I was, like, yeah, maybe I should start cutting their hair.”
Khammany continued, “God gave me everything that I can ask for as far as success, family, love, happiness, and everything else. So, I felt the need to give back to the community. I want to influence the younger people to do something good for the community and do something to be a better person themselves. Makes me feel good that I can change lives one haircut at a time.”
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