Textures Hair Salon swapped boxes of hair colour for donations of food for 15 families supported by St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church, and the response was overwhelming, says owner Jaime Chevalier.

She has been following along with Bishop Gerard Bergie's live-streamed services and during one of them he put out a call for food donations for area families. But it was his suggestion of husbands helping their wives with their hair that sparked her “colourful” idea.

“I just sort of thought, 'How can I help?' People had been calling me to buy hair colour and I've been reluctant to sell it,” she said. “I thought, 'Well, if I gave out hair colour in exchange for some donations it's a win, win.' ”

She sent out an email asking her clients to bring donations to the salon on Niagara Stone Road on April 25. She filled about four car loads of groceries.

“We had about 25 people come in for colour, but we had way more donations than that,” Chevalier said.

“I knew people were kind, but people brought multiple bags. They didn't just bring one. They were just so generous and so helpful.”

As for business, Chevalier said she’s “pretty much at a standstill.”

But she said when businesses are allowed to open back up she’s optimistic about clients returning.

“Once I'm allowed to open I'm pretty sure we'll have people in the chairs, it's just a matter of how long are we going to be closed for.”