Thank you for all your support! The Front Porch Project ended May 17th and raised thousands of dollars for our local food banks!
How it started…
Like many of us, I spent many weeks this winter sitting around worrying about what was happening to us – like we were in an episode of the Twilight Zone. Then one day in early April, while taking a walk, I met a man who was lost walking up and down Columbia Avenue in search of the food bank. He seemed desperate and had to take the bus into town in search for food for his family. Spending the last few weeks feeling scared and sorry for myself reality hit me that day… I have it pretty good. And I wanted to do something for someone else.
I read about The Front Steps Project created by photographer Cara Soulia of Boston who set out to document families in quarantine in exchange for a donation to a local charity. I became inspired and knew this was something I could do to give back.
The idea was simple…a 5 minute portrait session of families from the safety of their own porch or front steps in exchange for a donation to our local food banks. I thought doing something for someone else may make us feel a little more connected in these surreal times. And with so many of us feeling isolated and disconnected from our friends and family, something as simple as a happy photograph may keep us going.
In accordance with social distancing protocols, the families were photographed quickly from a minimum of 10 feet away and I emailed them the digital file of their portraits the following day. In exchange,they were asked to make a good faith donation to either the Cape May Food Closet, The Lazarus House of Wildwood or Saint Barnabus Food Pantry in the Villas. There was no charge for the photo session or the digital files and all the images were posted on Facebook and Instagram for all to enjoy. Part of the fun was seeing our friends and neighbors who are all going through the same thing!
For thirty days my co-pilot, a.k.a. husband, Guy, drove me from neighborhood to neighborhood as I jumped out and photographed the quarantined. Everyone was ready on time and they all seemed to have a lot of fun with it! You can view the images in the Front Porch Gallery.
Thankful for all the support, we ended up photographing over 170 families and raised thousands of dollars for the local food banks. We received lots of press and brought an awareness to the community that we have lots of neighbors in need of help. My husband and I plan to do more for our food banks in the near future. It is my hope that The Front Porch Project brought us together virtually while spreading a bit of joy in these trying times and provided help those who need it most right now in our Cape May County. Stay safe everyone. We’re all in this together. ♥
OUR LOCAL FOOD BANKS STILL NEED OUR HELP! Click here for a list for our area.
