London photographer's holiday photo project connects gift givers to people in need

A London, Ont., photographer is using her craft to assist people in the city who need a little extra help this holiday season.

Natasha Roberts is hosting a two-day paid photo session near downtown London this weekend, where she will take holiday-themed pictures of families for $200. But instead of keeping the money for herself, Roberts is asking people to give it to community members in need. 

"The goal is to encourage more community, more connection and more kindness in this world," Roberts said. 

Roberts is directly matching families getting their pictures taken with Londoners who personally reached out to her, saying they need the extra financial support over the holidays. 

"I really wanted to get away from the idea of charity, which has a lot of stipulations as to who gets the money, how it's to be used and certain requirements," Roberts said. "I've been really inspired by stuff that I've been learning about mutual aid, which is that 'if people need it, they need it.'"

More than a dozen gift givers and receivers are paired together. The money will be sent via e-transfer, which will keep a level of anonymity for both parties. 

Roberts promoted the project through her website and social media, where she started by booking the holiday photo sessions. Then, she made a post in a local Facebook group, asking people in need to send her a private message.

"It was pretty instantaneous that I got quite a few people," Roberts said. "I think that shows what a need there is."

Mixed response to project

One of the people who reached out to Roberts was Owen Edwards, who lives in London's SoHo neighbourhood with his wife and cats. 

Edwards was laid off from his job six months ago and has gone back to school with the goal of becoming a junior IT analyst. Meanwhile, his wife runs her own Indigenous food business and is on the Ontario Disability Support Program.

"That's the only money we get in the month," said Edwards. "That pays for rent, and we get to pick and choose one or two bills to pay."

Edwards said the extra cash through Roberts' project will help the couple pay for their groceries and cat litter. 

"Our whole family really appreciates it," he said. 

Roberts said not everybody had a positive response to her idea. She said that among messages of people asking for help, she also received messages from people calling her a scammer. 

"I think it's such a perfect example of this world we're in right now," Roberts said. "The thought that a stranger would want to do something good for what seems like no reason at all is met with such skepticism and worry."

Roberts said she is very trusting of strangers. That's part of the reason why she is not worried about the reasons why people need extra money. 

"It doesn't matter where they're at in their life; if they feel that this is something that would be helpful for them, then who am I to say that it's not helpful?," said Roberts.

Edwards said he trusts the gift givers to follow through on their promises. 

"If they said they're going to do it, I figure they're going to," he said. "If we had the money, we would do it for other people."

Wider community involvement

Roberts is working with other community members to make her project come to life, including interior designer Susan Jory, who is offering her home as the backdrop of the photoshoot, and Tania Floral Design for holiday-themed greenery. 

"I wanted to do this because it is my most sincere hope that community will become the most important thing on people's minds," said Jory. 

"I hope people get happy family and friend photos out of it, and I hope that they know there's a group of people who are doing things simply because they're good things to do," Jory said. "Some of that fairy dust will rub off on them."

This isn't Roberts' first time raising money through photography. Since 2021, she has hosted photo fundraisers, where she has donated money to local organizations like Safe Space and Growing Chefs, and to an Afghan family relocating to London.

"My whole goal with photography is to connect with people, show them the connections that I can see and encourage others to be more connected," Roberts said.