A New Hampshire barbershop is giving away free haircuts to school-aged children for the two weeks before the start of the new school year.
Mane Street Barber Company owner Henry Proctor said the idea came to him after one boy in a group of friends said he could not afford a haircut, WMUR reported.
“There were probably three to four of them,” Proctor said. “They all got haircuts and there was one kid who was left out. I was like, ‘Are you next?’ He said, ‘I wish, but I just can’t afford it. We never have money.’ That just crushed me,” Proctor said.
A little tight on cash himself, Proctor decided giving free haircuts is his way of giving back to his community during these trying times. So far, he and hair stylist Lizzy Nute have given 30 haircuts for free between their two shop locations in Hillsboro and Antrim.
“Just goes to show that there’s that many kids who wouldn’t have a haircut for school,” Proctor said.
Across the country, churches and community members have been organizing backpack drives to assist families going through financial hardships.
In the past two years, prices for school supplies have jumped nearly 24 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, NPR reported. Deloitte Firm predicted 2023 will be the first decline in school supplies sales since 2014.
For Nute and Proctor, their message is simple to families and children struggling: “Don’t feel embarrassed, just come on over. We’re glad to help,” Nute said.
