Greater Harrisburg's Community Magazine

In Pictures: Photographer documents quarantine, donates funds to Salvation Army of Harrisburg

Roger Baumgarten of Roger That Photography presents check to Salvation Army Director of Resource Development Kathy Anderson-Martin.

Stuck in quarantine for so long, the last thing many of us thought about was getting dressed up to be photographed. We may have thrown on a nice shirt for a Zoom meeting, but pants? Maybe not.

This morning, Roger Baumgarten presented a $10,327 check to the Salvation Army of Harrisburg Capital City Region for doing just that, photographing people.

Since March, Baumgarten of Mechanicsburg-based Roger That Photography has traveled around the region taking free photos of families on their front steps. Sales from downloads and print purchases went directly to his fundraiser for Salvation Army.

“My choice to do this for Salvation Army came when I saw what they were doing for the COVID crisis,” Baumgarten said. “It was a very easy call to say, ‘I’ll do it!’”

Over the course of around three months, he photographed 422 families in four counties. Some people dressed up for the occasion, pulling out the dresses and slacks that had gone unused for so long. Others truly documented the time, wearing pajamas and holding rolls of toilet paper.

One family’s front step photo.

When Baumgarten embarked on his project, he thought he would cover his own neighborhood and possibly a few others, but quickly started receiving calls from all over the area. He estimated that he’d raise a few thousand dollars, but was blown away by the generosity of the donors towards the Salvation Army fundraiser.

“Salvation Army has done more in 12 weeks than they did in the previous year; it is just so incredible,” he said. “My part was the easy part.”

The photographer got the idea from a friend who introduced him to #TheFrontStepsProject, an initiative started by two Massachusetts photographers. Lacking paying work, photographers wanted a productive way to occupy their time by giving back to their communities. Nationwide, the project has garnered an estimated $2 million for charity.

Kathy Anderson-Martin, director of resource development for the local Salvation Army,  explained how much Baumgarten’s work meant to the organization.

“Our level of services has increased, so this is huge,” she said. “This was a sacrifice.”

The Salvation Army has experienced a rise in demand for emergency food distribution during the pandemic and, with children and youth programs now starting back up, the need is great. Anderson-Martin said there have been around 1,200 families receiving food who never needed to before.

“I was grateful to be in a position to help,” Baumgarten said. “It also got me out of the house, which was good.”

Roger That Photography is based in the Mechanicsburg area. For more information, visit his website. Salvation Army is located at 506 S. 29th St., Harrisburg. To learn more about their work, visit their website.

 

 

Continue Reading