JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A local church is giving back to one of Jacksonville’s most vulnerable communities.
Bethel Church hosted a Body and Soul event to help people experiencing homelessness get back on their feet.
Jason Smith got to experience a treatment today that some people take for granted, a fresh haircut.
“It feels wonderful, especially with the beard,” said Smith.
The last time he got a haircut was a few weeks ago, at the City Rescue where he lives right now. He and his wife fell on hard times and lost everything in a matter of months.
“The actual date was the first week of April. We were lucky enough to get hotel rooms for a while and then moved up here to Jacksonville from Daytona Beach because hotels were cheaper. I had to sell a lot of stuff so me and my wife could stay somewhere and then we got up one day and my car had been repossessed in the middle of the night,” said Smith.
Bishop Rudolph McKissick created this Body and Soul event series to give people dealing with hardships opportunities to get back on their feet.
“This time we’ve brought in about seven agencies, dealing with health, housing, and jobs, some of them have gotten jobs right on the spot,” said McKissick.
This is Body and Soul’s third event. And what’s new this year is that they’re offering sleeping bags and free pillows to make people’s lives a little bit more comfortable.
“I do think that we take a lot of things for granted even pillows.,” said Robin Marshall who volunteered at the event.