Children in foster care can receive a free haircut from Hair Cuttery, a national hair salon chain, after it teamed up with the Florida Department of Children and Families.
From Saturday through Aug. 15, the Hair Cuttery will donate one free haircut for a child age 18 or younger every time a resident in Cape Coral, Naples or Fort Myers visits the salon.
The national chain has two salons in Cape Coral — 2481 Del Prado Blvd. N. and 2378 Surfside Blvd.
“If they get a free haircut, one will be donated to a child in need,” said Erin Gillespie, spokesperson for DCF.
Hair Cuttery has 800 salons participating in the national program to cut approximately 60,000 heads of hair. The salon also aids the Locks of Love program, where donated hair benefits patients who have lost their hair due to medical reasons.
“We believe a new haircut on the first day of school can help a child feel more confident and can make a big difference to start the next academic year,” said Dennis Ratner, founder and chief executive officer of Hair Cuttery, in a prepared statement. “In these troubled economic times, we all need to do whatever we can to help those in need.”
According to Gillespie, DCF tracks children in foster care and those being taken care of by relatives.
Families who take care of foster children receive a monthly stipend of approximately $400, but the free haircuts help to offset the costs of paying for the child’s needs.
In June there were 495 children living in foster care in Southwest Florida, said Gillespie.
The Children’s Network of Southwest Florida, the agency that spearheads Florida adoptions, is always on the lookout for new opportunities to help children.
“They are always on the lookout for donations,” said Gillespie.