SEATTLE — As a professional photographer, Renata Steiner has been out of work as a non-essential worker during Washington’s stay-home order, but she didn't want to leave her camera untouched.
Steiner wanted to do something meaningful with her skills and time, so she reached out to her neighbors with an idea.
"I said the next few days, you want to sign up and do some family portraits, but you gotta donate to the Ballard Food Bank, and people came out of the woodwork,” explained Steiner. “Three days turned into two weeks and $4,000.”
Steiner has been photographing families all over the Seattle area, taking their photos from the sidewalk, and documenting this important time during the COVID-19 pandemic. A time of working from home, school closures, and canceled graduations.
"It's hard right now because he's a [high school] senior, so this might be the last time we're all living in the house, until they come back, so it is special," said Ingrid Goodman of Bellevue.
Over the last month, Steiner has photographed 107 families and raised nearly $11,000 for the food bank.
"It's truly inspiring especially to see folks like Renata incorporating their skills and passions into connecting to the community in such a touching way, documenting family experiences of the pandemic, while also contributing to an organization like Ballard Food Bank at a time like this when we need it most," said Jen Muzia, executive director of Ballard Food Bank.
Muzia said twice as many people visited the Ballard Food Bank last month, and the demand is not slowing down.
Steiner is asking people to donate a minimum of $100 to the food bank for one family portrait. However, so many people have been donating much more.
"If I'm idle as a non-essential business and people will pay to feed the greater community, awesome. I don't take a single dime through me,” said Steiner. “It all goes right to the food bank.”
She hopes what she's doing inspires others to help their neighbors in their own community.
Coronavirus | Neighbors Helping Neighbors