Darnell Wells, a barber who is 19 years old, lives in Memphis, Tennessee. Most of his time is devoted to his job at the barbershop at The Shop in Frayser, and he wanted to do something special this summer for those who couldn’t afford to make it to his chair. He gave them his services free of charge.
When asked why he and his team gave out free haircuts to the homeless in his city, Wells said they were just trying to help as many people as possible.
His idea turned out to be something bigger than he thought. To help so many people was not anything he and his team anticipated.
During the hot Memphis summer, Wells worked from a red lawn chair. He brought clippers, Zac Sherrod, and a mountain of sympathy.
For lunch, Sherrod proposed hamburgers. Wells was the inspiration for Sherrod putting up his cash for the meals.
Wells said when they got there, there were just two people. They gave nine haircuts, and five others were waiting. They handed out a minimum of 30 hamburgers.
Sherrod got involved after reading Wells’ Facebook post asking if anyone wanted to help him feed the homeless.
Since then, hundreds have liked and shared Wells’ Facebook posts, spreading the word about their generosity.
Ever so humble, the teen barber said he didn’t have plans to share it with the world, but God put it in his heart that they should. He hopes that it inspires people to help one another.
Just like the conversations at the barbershop, the ones between Wells and his homeless clients were one of a kind.
He said they learned so much from them. Wells said the homeless were “teaching us a lesson” by detailing how they arrived at their present circumstances.
Wells plans to put his newfound knowledge to work by doing good for youngsters in Memphis.
He graciously observed, “It is not always about how much you have, but how much you can give.”
He hopes that the next generation will learn from the examples of “good men” that they, too, can positively impact the world.
