SAN ANTONIO \u2013 Back-to-school season is just around the corner, and for many families, the cost of supplies, clothes, and haircuts adds up fast. <\/p>\n
One San Antonio barber school owner is trying to lighten those costs \u2014 one free haircut at a time.<\/p>\n
At back-to-school events across the San Antonio area, one might spot Tim Torres and his students from Cut and Shave Barber and Beauty College providing fresh cuts for kids ahead of the first day of class. <\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of kids have to go to school without haircuts. So if they look good, they can feel good, and they can perform good in the classroom,\u201d Torres said. <\/p>\n
Giving back comes easy to Torres. In 2018, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor and knew he wanted to do more for his community. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo I decided to just share the love that I have and passion for this industry to share with everybody else,\u201d he shared. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s now become a tradition he and his barber students look forward to. <\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe more kids will be nice to them and give them compliments, help them boost their confidence,\u201d Chris Olivares, a barber student, said.<\/p>\n
Parents say the impact is immediate \u2014 especially during the summer months, when budgets can be stretched thin. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re enormously grateful. I mean we\u2019re blessed,\u201d said Yessica Orenday, who has three school-aged children and a newborn.<\/p>\n
Orenday said expenses pile up quickly. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe diapers, the wipes, and all the goodies,\u201d she said. \u201cBut yeah, especially in the summer because the fridge pretty much gets beat up.\u201d <\/p>\n
Orenday said the free haircuts helped her save more than $150. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a good thing that they\u2019re doing,\u201d her son Rigo said. \u201cI bet other families are grateful too.\u201d<\/p>\n