By Sym Posey | The Birmingham Times
Behind a sizzling hot grill on a bright Sunday morning in a parking lot of NLess Cutz stands Reginald Johnson as he prepared a meal for dozens of Birmingham’s homeless and underserved.
With early 2000s R&B hits playing in the background, Johnson’s younger brother, George, sorts through bags of donated clothing.
A quick scan across the parking lot is Kenneth “Niddy” Hubbard providing free haircuts.
For these three, giving back to their community was a “no-brainer,” said Hubbard.
Since October 2024, every Sunday, Hubbard along with cousins, Reginald and George Johnson, have provided the services from Noon-4 p.m. at Birmingham’s NLess Cutz, 809 3rd Ave N.
“It began just out of me wanting to give back,” Hubbard said. “I started riding around downtown and finding less fortunate people and asking them if they wanted a free haircut. If they say ‘no,’ I move on to the next person.”
While he was offering free haircuts, Hubbard said he learned that his cousin (Reginald) was providing free food “and I was like let’s ‘link up’ and make it a package deal,” said Hubbard, the owner of NLess Cutz, who has been cutting hair for more than 10 years.”
Hubbard, 36, who also operates a business, Kenny Do It All, where he does home improvement work, knew since he was 15 he would be a barber, he said.
Originally from Long Island, New York, he and his family moved to Birmingham in 2002.
Reginald, 38, with the help of his brother George, 37, started with a few dollars and a small grill, offering free food.
“At first, it was kind of iffy because I got bum rushed with a lot of guys and I didn’t know what to do, [but] then I started slowing myself down and figuring out just breathe,” he said, adding, “people would ask if we were a church because they only ever saw churches doing this kind of work.”
The weekly gathering offers more than just a free meal and a free haircut but a sense of community. “Everybody out here is our family,” said Reginald, including the volunteers, which vary from week to week, that help assist.
“People we consider family and that we’ve been knowing since childhood are here helping us as well,” added George.
Working alongside his family is “awesome because we’re liked minded people,” said Hubbard.
“I’ve counted homeless people who were able to get jobs just from changing their appearance and getting free clothes. That does a lot,” he said.
Hubbard recalled his first time providing haircuts alongside his cousins. “We linked up for the first time right across the street from the Platinum in downtown Birmingham (2024). We started there, and it just started growing,” he said. “Our motto is to just dedicate a Sunday every Sunday and wherever it goes, it goes. We go with the flow. We’ve really just started but we want to continue to grow.”
Providing haircuts is more than just about improving someone’s appearance.
“It’s about giving everybody a chance,” Hubbard said. “With me being a barber, I know how a haircut can change a person’s perspective. When I introduce myself out there for the first time, and I got my first person to let me give them a haircut, it just put something in me. I want to keep feeling that feeling.”
For donations reach out to Facebook: Reginald Johnson Jr or Instagram: @ Da_Families_workshop.
