When Mark Bustos isn't cutting the hair of fashion designers and real estate moguls for hundreds of dollars a pop, he's traveling around giving free haircuts to the homeless.

On Sunday he started out on the Bowery in lower Manhattan where he found "Red," an older man whose nickname comes from the bright red gloves he wears in the winter. Red is a fixture in the area, always sitting on the same wooden stool.  Next up was 56-year-old Ray, who has been homeless for eight years as a result of a drug addiction.  Ray said he was seeing his 11-year-old daughter that evening, and wanted to look nice together for the visit. After Bustos finished buzzing his head and grooming his goatee, Ray gave high fives to his friends. He then gave Bustos a big hug, calling him his "angel."  "When someone comes along and gives you something you never get, it's just nice," said Ray. "It makes me wanna cry."

PHOTO: Devin Masga/CNN Money
PHOTO: Devin Masga/CNN Money
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With a response like that, it's easy to see why Bustos has been giving free cuts since 2012 after visiting family in the Philippines. It was there he decided to host an event where he gave free haircuts to needy children at a local barbershop.  Bustos notes, "It made such a strong positive impact on me that I decided to bring it back home to NYC."

 

 

Facebook/Mark Bustos
Facebook/Mark Bustos
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