LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) — A local barber shop in Little Rock gave hundreds of children and adults a Christmas, in a holiday season they might have gone without.
Matt Dillion owns seven Goodfellas Barber Shops around Little Rock. His goal is to not only cut hair, but to also uplift people in need, especially during the holidays.
“This community needed someone to uplift them. This community needed someone to give them encouragement,” Dillion said.
Dillion and volunteers welcomed over 200 people to Goodfellas off Asher Avenue Christmas day. The shop offered free haircuts, toys and food.
“You see kids walk away happy and they have a full Christmas,” State Rep. Frederick Love said.
Children picked from hundreds of donated toys to take home. Some of the first few in line were able to get their hands on one of 40 bikes.
“There's a lot of families that can't afford their Christmas gifts. They can't afford the Christmas dinners, so here at Goodfellas, they feed you, they give you gifts,” Love said.
Shawn Rucker volunteers every year to help out Dillion on Christmas day. She said the whole experience is humbling.
"For a child to wake up on Christmas not knowing whether or not they were going to have something and then for us to be able to give them something and then see the smile on their faces…it means the world to you,” Rucker said.
Goodfellas Barber, Donald Tague, agreed.
“It's just priceless to see them get a bike and the joy … it's just a happy feeling. Even with the haircuts. I cut a guy today, he said 'Man, I'm going to get that job next week. It's just to put that positivity and let them see something positive,” Tague said.
Christmas is the season of giving, and giving back is what Goodfellas is all about.
"What we do here at Goodfellas, it's not just for show. We're truly trying to reach the masses, we're truly trying to reach those individuals that may not have a family at Christmas,” Rucker said.
This is the seventh year Goodfellas has thrown a Christmas party for those in need. Many of the toys and food were donated from organizations and businesses in Little Rock.