A visit to the food sharing warehouse: A photo essay on giving, kindness and community

It wasearly morning and Iarrived 30 minutes early at the Community Food Sharing Association's warehouse on Pippy Place inSt. John's.

There were volunteers already here with the warehouse officials, planning and putting on gloves, ready to lift boxes of food of all sorts into vehicles that were parked in front of the loading bay for deliveries.

Most of the action was at the loading bay. It was tight and I didn't want to interrupt them and embarrassingly get run over by the mini forklift that drops the pallets off. I like to shoot with a wide angle (it makes me get in closer when filling my frame to capture what's happening).

I saw many people donating their time to move food, such as 1,500 turkeys. They were all loaded into vehicles that will drive all over Newfoundland and Labrador to deliver to families in need.

Through my lens, I saw many people working together, compassionand hard work. We had quick conversations but I knew they had a job to do and so I was respectful and did my best to be that fly on the wall.

I was focused on their hands, smiles, them communicating and talking with each other, the lifting and passing of boxes, and the collaboration and the tight space these people worked with to get things out the door.

This season is a festive one, but also a stressful time of the year. I see kindness today. I see it in these people's actions. It's not going to fix the world today, but it's making a difference.

Portraits of Kindness is a special series of regional photo essays. CBC Atlantic asked local photographers to visit a food bank and capture acts of kindness through their lens. The project coincides with CBC'sMake The Season Kind campaignin support of food banks in Atlantic Canada.