SAN ANTONIO – A local barber is giving back by giving free haircuts to the homeless.
Rudy Ibanez, 21, has been cutting hair since he was 12 years old and his creative cuts have earned him awards.
But Rudy the barber, as he's known on social media, said nothing fulfills him as much as the bonds he forms with the men most people choose to pretend aren't even there.
When Ibanez isn't using his clippers to give fresh styles to the customers at Shalom Hair Fashions, he's using them to give homeless men a fresh look at themselves.
"Every time is a blessing, it really is, I love what I do," Ibanez said
It all started with a chance encounter with a homeless man.
"He came up to me he asked me if I had any money, I didn't have any money. I told him, I'm a barber and I have my clippers, if you want I'll give you a haircut," Ibanez recalled.
The man accepted the offer and Ibanez went to work right there on the sidewalk.
"After his haircut, I gave him the mirror. He hadn't looked in a mirror in like a year he told me," Ibanez said. "He was blown away. He loved what he saw. He felt like a new man."
Rudy didn't stop there, he took the man to buy some clothes and a meal.
"Before we said our goodbyes, he gave me a big old hug. He told me how grateful he was and that was a blessing and that meant the world to me," Ibanez said.
That chance encounter left Ibanez feeling inspired, he knew right then he wanted to use his talents to help more homeless men feel better about themselves.
Since then, Rudy has repeated the good deed time and again, chronicling his cuts on Instagram.
Last weekend, a friend followed along with a camera to document his latest encounter, posting the video to YouTube where it's racked up several hundred views since Sunday.
Ibanez said he hopes those who watch it will also be inspired to give back in their own way.
"I just really want people to realize, hey, if I can do it, other people can do it," Ibanez said. "The way I see it if we all pitch in, this world would be a lot better place."
Ibanez said he plans to keep giving free cuts to the homeless and staying true to his own personal motto:
"God is good, stay humble and good things will happen in life."