As we grow older, it’s the kindness from when we were little that remains with us. It helps guide us adults, shows how to be better people as we go out into the world.

For one child, the lessons of hard work and kindness he saw in a local street vendor resonated with him as he grew up. So much so, that the young barber spends his time giving back to his hometown as much as possible.

But he never forgot the person who set him on this path.

Damian Villanueva cuts Don Pacheco’s hair. Photo by ABC7

Damian Villanueva donates his time giving haircuts to the local street vendors in his hometown of Santa Ana, Calif. He will surprise each person with a quick cut, while taking the time to talk with them, learning about what they do, where they are from. 

But it was the haircut he gave Don Bartolo Huato Pacheco that meant the most to him. Pacheco was Villanueva’s childhood popsicle vendor. As a child, Villanueva told ABC7, he would watch how hard Pacheco worked, day after day. He said he always knew that one day he would help the kind man.

So he began with a haircut. In a video Villanueva created, Pacheco talks about how hard he and his family had been hit by Covid-19. From losing loved ones, to being sick with the virus himself, he had been unable to work for some time. 

As the pair’s conversation went on, Villanueva noticed that Pacheco would try not to show his smile. “He would tell me his teeth were kind of messed up, so he didn’t really want to show people,” he said.

Don Pacheco has always hid his smile. Photo courtesy of ABC7.

Pacheco told ABC7 that he remembered long ago, a young boy smiled at him. The little boy had just lost his teeth, so he joked they were the same. The child ran off embarrassed, and Pacheco reminded the little boy that his teeth would come in one day. 

For Pacheco, he didn’t think he’d ever get a chance at a new smile. But Villanueva wouldn’t stop until he made that dream happen.

A family friend, Dr. Sofia Rodriguez, a dentist, offered to help Pacheco at no cost. 

When I saw what Damian is doing with his work, cutting people’s hair and I saw the history about (Pacheco’s) situation, so I felt compelled,” Rodriguez said.

“I just want to thank everyone that has been supporting me,” Villanueva said. “Seeing his new smile like, just made me smile too,” he said.

Pacheco was left speechless and in tears, but ready to use his new smile on everyone he saw.

Don Pacheco now loves to smile at everyone he sees. Photo courtesy of ABC7.

Villanueva also set up a GoFundMe account to help Pacheco make ends meet while he was unable to work.

The young barber has proven that the kindnesses we show one another can be the things that leave the most lasting impressions in the world.