Utah barbershop chain helps with back-to-school through backpack donations

SPANISH FORK — A fresh haircut and a new look make a big difference when it's back-to-school, and that's typically the realm of barbershops.

At The Fellas Chop Shop Barbershop locations, however, barbers and their clients have been focused lately on making a difference in a different way for kids who are in need at the start of the school year.

"We wanted to celebrate America's 250th birthday and simultaneously give back to the community in some way," explained co-founder/owner Jeramy Reber during an interview with KSL. "With this, we're giving away 250 backpacks to local schools here in Utah for students that might not be able to afford school supplies."

Reber said all The Fellas' locations are accepting school supply and monetary donations*.

"You can also come in, buy a product and every purchase gives back a backpack as well," Reber said.

Reber and his wife, Mersadies, started The Fellas in 2018 and soon expanded to several locations with a goal of giving back to the communities the barbershops serve.

"We want to be a part of the communities," Reber said. "We want to positively impact all the people around us. They support us, so we should take care of them, too."

The effort to collect school supplies and donate backpacks resonated with clients like Tyler DeCapot, who learned about the backpack drive when he came in for a beard trim and immediately wanted to help bring attention to it.

"They're sitting there without those supplies — that's unfair to the kid," DeCapot said on Thursday. "With the cost of living, cost of gas like that going up, I feel like it's important to give in any way, shape or form that we can."

DeCapot acknowledged there was no telling how a small act of kindness might change the trajectory of a child's growth and education.

Barber Jaron Bradford also saw the value in the school supplies donation efforts, noting it could help kids who don't have the resources to experience more of a level playing field in school.

"It's really cool to have everyone starting their education at the same level, and be able to progress and go from there," Bradford said. "If they're able to grow and progress, then you know the sky is the limit for these kids."

*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited into the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

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