Recession beards for charity, meet a group of men in a growing movement

This post is from WalletPop, but I found it first at FriendFeed. It's cool to see people trying to be supportive of those who are suffering in this economic mess, but I wonder how mush this really helps.

Recession beards for charity, meet a group of men in a growing movement

Bruce Watson
Apr 7th 2009 at 9:00AM

As the recent recession beard trend has gained traction, chin curtains have become a way for some men to embrace unemployment and express a new-found sense of freedom. However, for one firm, they have also become a sign of community involvement and a way to help a charity survive the recession.

Observing the wave of layoffs across the country, workers at a Massachusetts-based financial services company decided that facial hair might be a great way to show solidarity with their unemployed friends. The company already has a bi-annual mustache contest, in which employees vie for the distinction of best and worst lip locks. The unveiling occurs at the company's yearly formal dinner, and is a much-anticipated occasion.

For one worker, Justin Unton, the transition from mustaches to beards seemed logical, and he suggested to human resources that the company should conduct a recession beard contest to let unemployed financial services workers know that his company felt their pain. In the process, he and his 16 fellow beard growers decided that this was also a good opportunity to raise money for the Make-a-Wish foundation. They set a goal of $1,000, charged a $20 entrance fee, took "before" pictures of their clean-shaven baby faces, and began the race to manly beardiness.

Read the whole post - there's pictures of some of the guys.

Tags: masculinity, charity, culture, beards, facial hair, recession beards, Bruce Watson, WalletPop, FriendFeed