BRYANT — A local barbershop will dish out free cuts this week in an effort to raise money for the less fortunate.
The Art of Men’s Cuts, or AOMC, now at 5920 Arkansas 5 N. in Bryant, will host its fourth annual charity event Friday, beginning at 8 a.m. All haircuts that day will be done by walk-in only, and eventgoers can expect at least a 30-minute wait for a cut, depending on availability.
“If you are coming just for a free hair cut, that’s fine,” owner Will Oraha said. “If you would like to give a donation, we will have a donation box.”
Oraha said it is up to customers how much they donate, as far as money is concerned. They are also welcome to donate canned goods or clothes.
“At the end of the day, we are going to take everything that has been donated, and we will give that to The Vine and the Branches,” Oraha said. “And that’s an organization based out of Saline County.”
The Vine and The Branches was established in 2007 by Tamra Gore, a Saline County chaplain. It is a nonprofit organization that helps those in need, including domestic-violence victims.
“This event ensures that every family and every kid, or at least as many we can help, have a good Thanksgiving,” Oraha said. “There are still a lot of families out there that are less fortunate, that don’t have three meals a day, and their Thanksgivings aren’t as good.”
AOMC has partnered with The Vine and the Branches for all four years, and while Oraha said he wasn’t sure how much money has been raised, he did say the amount has grown each time.
“It is hard to reach a certain goal,” Oraha said. “There is not a specific increment we have to donate, so it all depends on how people are with donating.
“We get a solid crowd,” Oraha said. “They either donate or bring us food. Sometimes we don’t even break for lunch for these events because we have been nonstop cutting hair.”
Oraha said the charity cut event “kills two birds with one stone.”
“First, we open our doors to people who can’t afford a good-quality hair cut, and we allow them to come and experience our barber shop and give them a good clean cut, and [they] leave happy,” Oraha said. “If they can afford to donate, they can, but we aren’t expecting them to.
“Second, the guys who are donating, that helps out because we can donate it to the less-fortunate families of Saline County.”
Live music will be provided by Central Arkansas Entertainment, and DJ Mario Luna will be “spinning,” Oraha said.
“If anyone is interested in helping out, whether it is grilling food or setting up a food truck, we welcome them to come and help out,” Oraha said. “We have ample parking now, thanks to our new location.
“All of our barbers are super pumped about it.”
Oraha said he hasn’t met any of the individuals who have benefited from the donations, but he said he prefers it that way.
“We’d rather stay anonymous,” Oraha said. “We aren’t doing this for anybody.
“You need it? Cool. Where did it come from? Don’t worry about it. Just know there are people out there that care about stuff.”
He said AOMC is made up of a “bunch of guys that look like straight hooligans.”
“But we are some of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet, and we love giving back to the community, and I think that speaks volumes,” Oraha said. “We aren’t here to impress anybody.”
Staff writer Sam Pierce can be reached at (501) 244-4313 or spierce@arkansasonline.com.