Good Samaritan College Student Offers Free Haircut For Homeless Man In Need
BLOOMFIELD, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A simple gesture like a haircut might not change the world, but it could mean the world for one man.
The chance encounter all started in front of a 7/11 on Broad Street in Bloomfield, New Jersey, when 20-year-old Ken Manzano noticed a man sitting in front of the store.
In a Facebook post later that day, Ken said he asked the man if he wanted something to eat, but the man said he was fine.
That's when Ken asked, "What about a haircut?'."
"He said he hadn't gotten his hair cut in like six to eight months," Manzano said.
The New Jersey Institute of Technology junior cuts hair to make a few extra bucks. The man introduced himself as Alex, and the two made their way over to a park across the street.
Then, Ken says he started cutting his hair, sitting in the park for almost an hour and a half. During that time, Manzano says he got to learn a lot more about his new friend.
"I asked him what type of music are you in to, so I started playing some music while I was cutting," he said.
Alex soon opened up even more.
"I started asking, you know, what's your life story? What happened," Manzano said.
It turns out, Alex said he used to work in Manhattan in information technology.
"He told me he had lost his job, didn't have any savings, and ended up on the street," Manzano said.
When the haircut was finished, Ken says he pulled out his phone and flipped it around so Alex could get a good look at his new do.
"He really appreciated it," Manzano said. "I could just tell by the way he was smiling."
Manzano says Alex wasn't the only one who was smiling, and the two shook hands before his new friend took off.
"Everyone should give like this every day," Manzano said. "This is nothing special. This is something I just did because, you know, I feel like everyone should be doing this."
Manzano says something as simple as a haircut can go a long way, and he's been doing it since he was 13.