The staff at VJ Salon and Day Spa, in downtown Grass Valley, recently raised $889 to buy cold-weather clothing for the guests at Hospitality House, western Nevada County's rotating homeless shelter.

Managers at Big 5 Sporting Goods, in Grass Valley, gave the salon deep discounts on jackets, socks, gloves, boots, ponchos and other useful items, salon manager Dawn Brindley said Tuesday.

“We filled the whole back of my car and an SUV,” Brindley said. “When we took it over to Hospitality House, people were crying.”

About 50 people came to the salon for a cut-a-thon in the week before Thanksgiving, buying or donating services, Brindley said. Salon stylists cut hair, and massage therapist Jayne Varian offered massages for $1 per minute.

“A stylist who had just moved here from Hawaii, Denise McCall, came in and cut hair for one day,” Brindley said. “It was a cold, blustery day.”

All of the donations were used to purchase warm clothing, Brindley added.

VJ Salon and Day Spa, owned by Virginie Cayer, is at 250 Colfax Ave., Grass Valley; (530) 274-8257.

To contact City Editor Trina Kleist, e-mail tkleist@theunion.com or call (530) 477-4230.