CareCuts is a collection of volunteers – individuals, families, agencies, businesses – who gather on Sunday afternoons to help their neighbors. After KnoxTNToday.com published a four-part series on homelessness, Kecia Armstrong contacted us with an invitation to visit an event the Friday, Sept. 23, event called Homeless Resource Day. She is the director of CareCuts.
“We’re hosting a one-stop shop for the homeless,” she wrote.
And sure enough, they did. Some 30 agencies set up at CareCuts, 519 Williams Street. The event was sponsored by TVA and Kaiser Restorations. CareCuts provided hygiene kits and a fresh lunch to attendees.
Briana Johnson Hurst wrote, “Today was amazing! Such a beautiful opportunity to bring my kids to serve and have fun. Thank you Marley Gina White and Jonathan Michael Hall for all of your work to put this event together. Looking forward to the next one!!”
The September Friday was huge, but the regular Sundays draw about 200 people, Anderson said. “We provide clean clothes, showers, haircuts, breakfast snacks and lunch, along with resources such as nursing care, housing and rehab referrals, birth certificates, cell phones, a mailing address, etc.”
Anderson said the volunteers hope to do the Friday one-stop quarterly. “So many people received the help they needed.” Participating agencies included:
- Access Wireless
- American Job Center
- CAC: Workforce Connections
- CAC: Youth Action Board
- Clear Meadows
- CONNECT Ministries
- East TN Mentorship Association
- Foundation of Hope Ministries
- Goodwill (mobile unit)
- Journey Pure
- Knox Area Resource Ministries – providing materials only
- Knox County Health Department
- McNabb Center
- Mental Health Association
- Metro Drug Coalition – providing materials only
- Republic Plastics
- ServePro/Hire Quest
- Summit Towers
- TDOC Community Resource Center
- Tennessee Child Support Employment and Parenting Program
- Ticket to Work
- Volunteer Ministries Center
- Water Angel Ministries
- West Care
Founded in April 2016 to provide free haircuts for the homeless, CareCuts has grown to providing meals, clothing, transportation, identification, housing, rehabilitation referrals and job resources as well. CareCuts is a non-profit organization operated 100% by volunteers. Learn more at carecutsknox.org/.
(Note: photos are from the Sept 23 event. Our policy is not to run photos of minors, but there were many happy kids there – teens getting makeup and highlights, boys getting those military-style haircuts, buzzed off on the sides and tall on top. A good time was had by all.)
Here are some more pictures.
It's amazing the difference a good haircut makes.
Vivian Shipe volunteers