Say Cheese: Free Family Photos Put Smiles on People's Faces

by Josie Raymond · 2010-05-07 10:49:00 UTC
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It can be as hard to realize what you take for granted as it is easy to take it for granted in the first place. While those of us with air conditioners, dishwashers and other major appliances know how lucky we are, it's the small things, like family photos, that it's hard to imagine people going without.

That's why I especially love small charitable projects and volunteer efforts that provide those in need with things that they want. Government programs and non-profit organizations strive to give people things like food and shelter. Often, it's up to passionate individuals to offer up the small touches of home and a stable life that can be the most touching.

The Free Photo Project is an effort to offer low-income people the family photos they can't afford. Families that are stretched thin can't afford cameras and film, much less professional sessions. So far, founder Aloma Calacin (who was inspired by photos of her own kids) and her volunteers have provided hundreds of free portraits in just over a year — including more than a hundred at a walk-in Thanksgiving dinner last fall in Eugene, Oregon. The video below is from that shoot. One mom says this will be the first photo she has of her five children. Another talks about how she can't afford annual school photos of her brood of six. The growing effort is currently accepting donations. A family photo, sure to be among a person's most treasured possessions, costs just $5 or less.

If you're looking for a small, heartfelt way to help those who are less fortunate, this goes to show that you don't have to wait to get toys for a needy child at Christmastime. If you know of any other efforts to give families the little things, let us know in the comments.

Photo credit: FreePhotoProject.org

Josie Raymond has reported from the streets of the South Bronx, written for several magazines that folded (not her fault) and fixed thousands of typos.
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