For one South Whitehall resident, donating to charities and helping others has become a way of life.

Regina Reichard, head cook at Parkway Manor Elementary School, donated 24 inches of her hair for a second time recently for Locks of Love at Great Clips, Wescosville.

The first time, during a hair donation drive she attended at DeSales University, Center Valley, a stylist from a Hellertown salon cut 26 inches of her hair for Locks of Love.

This non-profit organization provides hairpieces for children in the United States and Canada undergoing chemotherapy or with long-term hair loss.

Reichard was asked why she chose to donate to Locks of Love.

"There are so many people out there with cancer and Parkway Manor has been hit hard with kids and staff having cancer," she replied, trying to hold back her tears.

"My grandmother lost all her hair from the medication she was on in the 1990s, and she always wore wigs and head scarves."

Reichard and her husband, Keith, a drummer and Parkland High School hall monitor, take part in many events to help others.

"We hold picnics and donate to charities," she said. "When we were riding motorcycles, we did the charity run at Christmas. We also took part in runs for the survivors of fallen police officers and runs to raise money to battle cancer."

Reichard, a 1984 Salisbury High School graduate, said when she gets tired of her hair being short, she just lets it grow.

Then, she donates her hair again.

When she is not donating her hair, Reichard can be found cooking in her kitchen at home or at Parkway Manor.

"I love cooking," she said. "I have been cooking since I was 11, when I would help my mother in the kitchen."

She said she took a cooking class at Lehigh Career and Technical Institute, and in the late '90s, she took an Italian cooking class at the old Giovanni's Restaurant in Bethlehem.

"I cook or jar everything I get from my backyard gardens," Reichard said.

Reichard is the mother of two sons, Joshua Reichard, who lives at home, and Chadborne Ellis. She also is the grandmother of a 1-year-old granddaughter, Hope Ellis.