BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — For nearly 45 years, Pelton has used his gifted hands to cut hair for various people, including those who have served our nation and those who can't afford one.
"As we travel, we go through missions, homeless shelters, soup kitchens, food banks. I go to homeless encampments," travel barber, Irvin Russell Pelton, Jr. told Pheben Kassahun.
The Detroit native knows all too well the struggles of life but he hopes to bring confidence with his kind cuts.
"I do it because God. Again, I grew up on the streets of Detroit. I among of the few that had made it out alive. By the grace and mercy of him, I have been shown what the purpose of my life is," he explained.
He is currently on a 50-state quest to give free haircuts. New York is his 17th stop. He plans to make his 50th stop in Hawaii, which is where he resides.
"When we leave here, we're going up to Maine. Straight to Maine, and then we're going to hit all the states coming down the East Coast; Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire," he said.
His gesture aligns with that of the Buffalo City Mission, which takes in clients who are at their lowest.
Buffalo City Mission marketing, communications and volunteers senior manager, Heather Mattiuzzo said, "The Buffalo City Mission is this beacon of light here in Western New York and primarily the City of Buffalo. We are here to serve those that are homeless, those that are on the brink of homelessness."
The nonprofit offers meals and shelter to men and women and children.
There is an array of services that can be found on site, like an on-site medical and mental health clinic, a kitchen to provide food and free haircuts.
Mattiuzzo said, "We offer three meals a day, 24/7. We never close. We've been like that since we started in 1917."
The shelter is fairly new, having opened this new location in 2020.
She added, "It was a Godsend because if we were in our original building that was built in 1984, it would have been so difficult to try to navigate the pandemic with quarantine and everything else."
The men's facility is located at 100 E. Tupper St. Its women and children shelter, at Corner Stone Manor, is located on 150 E. North St.
Each shelter has a set number of beds to house those who have been displaced.
Buffalo City Mission is always in need of volunteers, whether it be at its men's center, women and children's shelter or its thrift store.
An online application must be filled out, in order to volunteer. To apply, click here.
Other ways to keep up with Buffalo City Mission is by following its social media pages via Facebook and Instagram.
Right now in the Buffalo Strong section of wkbw.com, you will find a list with contact information for more than a dozen organizations in the city looking for volunteers to "get involved".
