Family Pantry

Hunger and the Working Poor

Sandy beaches, lobster rolls, fried clams and ice cream on a summer evening used to be the images I had of Cape Cod.  After photographing “The Family Pantry” of Harwich” my view has expanded beyond bucolic vacation images to thoughts of those mired in the depths of poverty.

I was struck by the diversity of people who are low income and need help putting food on their table and clothes on their back.  Children, professionals down on their luck and people who work but simply do not earn enough to pay for basic necessities may be eligible to receive food and clothing.

The goal of this project was to create awareness and dialogue about hunger and the working poor.  How can we allow a mother to send her child to school hungry while nearby many dine on lobster and steak?  Most patrons of the Family Pantry work but are stuck in low paying jobs that do not enable them to pay for the basic necessities of life.  I created these images as a medium to expose and influence our values and priorities as a society.