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For any Dunedin families choosing between a trim and a heated home this winter, Melissa Aitken is here to help.
On August 9, hairdressers and barbers, manicurists, brow shapers and massage therapists will all be on hand donating their time to help people in need and offer their services for free.
But more service providers are needed.
Free Haircuts and Other Services for Those in Need organiser Ms Aitken said this would be the second time they had held an event in Dunedin.
“It is for anybody that feels that they’re in need — we really emphasise in capital letters the words it is for those in need.
“Even though it’s once a year, it really just puts a band-aid on the crisis at hand.”
This year she was needing five more qualified hairdressers, two more barbers, two or three more manicurists, a brow shaper and massage therapist.
She hoped volunteers would be keen to help out for a couple of hours on the day and bring their own chairs and gear.
Ms Aitken held the event in winter as heating and electricity costs really put pressure on the wallet.
“I just don’t like people to go without … this event has become my fourth child to be honest — but it takes a whole village to pull it off.”
The main services for the event were free haircuts, but there could be other services depending on which agencies decided to donate their time.
The event had been running for 12 years and recently had its 19th event in Invercargill last Sunday, where more than 1000 people from all over Southland came “by the busloads’’ to make use of the services.
laine.priestley@odt.co.nz