Volunteers from Opportunities Unlimited at the RI Food Bank, pitching in, sorting the donated potatoes that will eventually help feed hungry Rhode Islanders. Click to enlarge the thumbnails.
The way it was at the Healthy Harvest
I was very surprised yesterday when I went over to photograph "Healthy Harvest" at the Jonnycake Center. I just did not expect to find so many people waiting in line to get fruit and vegetables at the Center's farmers market. I truly did not appreciate the need, but here it was right in front of me on a warm summer day in Peace Dale, Rhode Island. I saw an outstanding group of staff and volunteers distributing healthy produce to folks who looked like they appreciated getting it. It gives me hope that there are still plenty of people out there lending a helping hand to folks who need it.
People helping people... click on the thumbnails below to enlarge.
The way it is in Rhode Island
This is the way it is in Rhode Island in 2014… lots of people going hungry. We have a problem. There is a real need for food assistance here in our little state.
This need is at the highest level on record. These are children, the elderly and the working poor who are going hungry. They are not so sure where they will get their next meal. They need our help.
Luckily, the good folks at the Rhode Island Community Food Bank are answering the call. The staff and the many volunteers provide food to people in need. Until I visited recently, I was only dimly aware that this organization existed. I did not really appreciate the scope of their mission and what they do. I was amazed.
These are the faces of some of the many people who volunteer there. In order of appearance, Dottie Villani, Lillian Farland, Michael Marandola, Bill and Judi Nievera, Tom and Diane Bradley, Roland Cherella and Ruth Balzano. Also pictured is staffer Mark Shackelford other faces at the Food Bank. Many have been lending a hand for many years. These are the men and women who are making a difference in Rhode Island. Click to enlarge thumbnails and slide down to see the RI Food Bank slide show.
The Rhode Island Food Bank is the place where 9.9 million pounds of food is distributed throughout our state. It goes to 178 member agencies, like The Jonnycake Center, in Wakefield. The need for food assistance remains at near record-high levels. The Food Bank is currently serving 63,000 people per month through its statewide network of food pantries. That’s nearly double the number of people served in 2007, before the recession, when the Food Bank was serving 33,000.
When a solicitation comes in the mail asking for a small donation, think of these pictures and don't throw the envelope in the trash.
Below a slide show of theRI Food Bank. It is impressive, very well organized and immaculately clean. The staff and volunteers are dedicated. Their reach is state wide and many faceted. Take a look.
The Way It Was At The Gay Parade
Ron and I shoot at the Boston Gay Parade last Saturday. It was quite a celebration, and a street photographer's delight!.
You can see a selection of photos here: http://www.armorphoto.com/bostongay
Thousands of people marched and danced through the city’s streets for the 44th Boston Pride parade and festival, a colorful and upbeat gathering of the region’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities.
Organizers said a record 25,000 people in 200 groups marched in the annual parade, which was led by Governor Deval Patrick and Mayor Martin J. Walsh and ended with a festival on City Hall Plaza.
Groups in the parade included bands, advocacy groups, university clubs, churches, and even corporations and political candidates — a sign of Pride’s shift from a fringe demonstration to a mainstream, family-oriented staple of Boston’s event calendar and marker of an ongoing sea change in public opinion on gay issues.
Thayer Street on Saturday, June 7th, 2014
A portrait from our “Ephemeral Moments” Street Photography, last in the series of workshop with my friends Eric Hovermale and Chris Alvanas. Here is a slice of life on Thayer Street, Providence, RI. Along with the photos I will soon post from the students, I've posted my B&W and color on "Jan on Thayer". So here is my take on what it looked like there, a testament to our times.
She said, "I want to be a photographer someday." I said, "You can."
The photographs were made with a Canon 6D, 17 to 105mm lens. The camera was set to ISO 800 on a bright sunny day, aperture priority mode, f/11. Multipoint autofocus was on. Lots of depth of field, fast shutter speed. Simple…. nothing to think about but the moment. We met many nice folks.Students switched off and had a chance to work with each of us. I shot both portraits like this one of Sarah and fleeting moments when my subjects were unaware they were having their picture made. I handed out many business cards and promised anyone who responds to send them a photo, and I will. All were processed in Adobe Lightroom.
The way it was on the incoming tide.
I returned to Camp Cronin again last night to capture the lovely smooth (female) rock formation on the shore using the long exposure technique we shared in our Saturday workshop "At the Water's Edge".
Ann's way... Irish Eyes That Smile
Ann Sullivan delivers not only meals for her elderly charges, but also a caring smile and a quick chat. She has been a volunteer for Southern Rhode Island Volunteers for many years. The appreciative looks and thanks from the folks who receive her meals is telling. Ann truly makes a difference. Click to enlarge.
More helping hands
“Many hands make light work.”
More helpers make a task easier. At Jonnycake Center Elke Blumstein, a volunteer since 2010, and Margaret Driscoll, a helper since 2007, are pictured at work. They are part of a group that sorts,tags and organizes the steady stream of clothing and household items that are donated by their Wakefield neighbors for sale in the store. Christen helps at the register while Sandy keeps everyone laughing. Click to enlarge.
The Way it was in Death Valley
Beautiful sunrises, beautiful sunsets, and hot, hot, hot. This shot my take on Stove Pipe Wells. Death Valley was a fine excursion, could have stayed longer. Back in Palm Springs now for a last little R&R, and should be home tomorrow. The temp here yesterday was 94 degrees. We are thinking it will be hard to readjust with RI in the fifties. Ugh.
Marilyn Is Coming Apart At The Seams.
How appropriate, Marilyn is coming undone... again. They are cutting her, all 32,000 pounds of her, and shipping her to New Jersey for an art show. City fathers are hoping they can get this famous landmark back to Palm Springs but there are a lot of other places who want her in their town square.
Here they are cutting her up for the big move.
Joshua Tree National Park
Did Joshua again this trip. A short ride from Palm Springs, through a forest of wind turbines, but very worth the (pricey) gasoline. It was busy at the park on Sunday. Lot's of tourists like us, and the rock climbers. I'm told this is one of the best places for climbing. We saw many, tiny specks way up on the sides of the impossibly sheer sides of boulders. Definitely not my sport, now or not even when I was 23.
View from Interstate 10
The Palms in Palms Springs
If you grew up in the Fifties like we did, PS will feel familiar, like endless summer. The tall trees are everywhere, swaying in the Santa Anna breezes. Combined with the "mid-century" architecture, they make Palm Springs what it is. We walked the "Design District" yesterday, one bright orange or saturated green retro building after another sparkling against the deep blue sky. Marilyn slept here, really, and rock and roll is still in style. Fun, fun, fun, in the hot, hot California sun!
The way it is in Palm Springs, California
Made it to our destination safely, and without incident. We are now into the fourth day of the California trip. Beautiful (warm) weather, but the occasionally strong Santa Anna Winds make it difficult to keep my plastic wine glass from blowing away. Great food, and lots of photo ops.
last leg of the trip, Phoenix to PSP.
The Delivery Man
John Henneberry goes about his Tuesday route quietly and without fanfare. He has been distributing Meals On Wheels to the elderly and shut-ins for Southern Rhode Island Volunteers since 1989. He has been at it for 25 years now. This unassuming man, a World War II veteran, feels that he has been lucky. He tells me “Life’s been good to me. Volunteering is a way to give a little back.” Sometimes John is the only human a recipients sees for days, even weeks. A smile of gratitude when he hands someone a meal is all the reward he needs to keep on going. This was the way it was on Tuesday when I hitched a ride with Mr. Henneberry. Click to enlarge thumbnails.
Volunteer Paint Job
March 10, 2014 Volunteers from Salve Regina University spruce up the office space at the Jonnycake Center, Peace Dale, Rhode island. Pictured here: Jay,Kristin, Jasmine, Karma, Andy, Sasha and Sabrina. Celina and Clarissa put the final touches on a new paint job at the Jonnycake Center, Peace Dale, Rhode Island.
Read More"Do I Have A Volunteer?"
"Volunteers don't just do the work, they make it work."
-Carol Pettit
One can find volunteers, both young and old, making things work at the Jonnycake Center, Peace Dale, Rhode Island. Whether it's groceries in the Food Pantry, or clothing in the store, there is someone there making it happen. Click on thumbnails to enlarge.
Matt helps stock shelves and waits on customers on a Saturday morning at the Food Pantry.
Red Tailed Hawk was the way it was today...
The Red-tailed Hawk is a bird of prey, one of three species colloquially known in the United States as the "chickenhawk," though it rarely preys on standard sized chicken... or your little dog. this one was eating a fish head on the ice on Indian Lake today.
Scientific name: Buteo jamaicensis
The RI Food Bank Delivers
Luckily, I arrived just as the Rhode Island Food Bank truck was delivering to the Food Pantry. Below, David and volunteers Linda and Derek receive the goods and restock the shelves. Scroll down to view the store. Click to enlarge.
Nancy, Pat and Karen sort the never ending stream of clothing and household goods that are donated by folks in the community. Selected items are sold in the store, others are sent off to the Salvation Army. Dee keeps things going in the retail store, always with a smile on her face. It is volunteers like these women who help keep Jonny Cake going. Here is a place to purchase almost anything, from sneakers to jeans to teapots to dinning chairs, all at very affordable prices. Click to enlarge.
Making a difference in Peace Dale, R.I.
Jonnycake Center, Peace Dale, R.I.
Volunteers are making a difference
Everywhere I look, eyes wide open, I find good people doing good works. Unheralded, they do unglamorous things like collect clothing, distribute food, deliver meals to shut ins, give elderly folk a lift to the doctor, answer fire alarms, man suicide hot lines, and on and on. They do important things. And do them willingly, tirelessly, for little or no pay, usually the latter. They are part of an invisible web of much needed assistance to those who are in need. They are the silent safety net.
On my first day of this new photo project, I met one such man whose name is David Olguin. He runs the food pantry at the Jonnycake Center, in Peace Dale, Rhode Island, and he runs it with a passion. He is making a difference, a big one. He and his army of volunteers distribute good nourishing food to folks who cannot always afford it. Some days he works with high school volunteers, teaching them about nutrition… and life. Sometimes he delivers it to low income kids in day care programs. He buys, inspects, picks up, organizes and works to make a difference. David, I salute you and the many men and women down at the pantry.
Below photos of Christian and Sandy work the Saturday flea market while David and two volunteers from the local high school distribute food at the Jonny Cake Center and Food Pantry. Click to enlarge.
The Quad In The Fog
We happened to be at URI early Friday evening as a heavy fog rolled in. Although all I had was my iPhone for a camera, I couldn't resist capturing the scene on the Quad. Ghostly figures came and went out of the mists as they hurried by. A man with a dog on a lease appeared, then receded into the quiet. Lovers passed on a dark sidewalk and I thought of Paris. Leafless trees stood stark against the sky. The snow erased any horizon as the landscape melted away. The URI campus had become a place of mystery.
