One of the key participants in the Charity Fest blog series has been Peter Garr.  Not only is Peter’s involvement a prime example of social media working the way it should, but he’s a great example of just how small the world really is getting to be.  Peter saw my Tweet requesting stories from photographers who were giving back and sent me several emails with suggestions.  After a few rounds of email, we found we shared a bunch of good friends in the industry; Jeff Jochum, Jasmine Star and Candice Cunningham, just to name a few.    

In talking further with Peter I learned that he’s involved in his own giving-back project.   Peter absolutely believes in making a difference and is working on a program that could easily be duplicated by photographers in city after city across the US. 

“On December 8th, we’re having a Southern California SmugMug User Group Holiday Blowout, or SoCal SMUG Blowout for short.  The event is open to ALL photographers, SmugMug user or not.  Guests who donate any non-perishable food item or unopened personal care item will receive one raffle ticket for each item donated.  These items will be collected by the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank to help feed and care for the poor in our communities.  The more items a guest donates, the greater the odds of winning a prize.

The event will feature a fabulous desert station and full bar, should guests choose to purchase alcohol.  We are expecting over 300 guests including some of the great photographers who spoke at the Southern California SMUG meetings throughout 2009.”

Peter and his friends took it one step further and involved the vendor community.   Some of the vendors who are donating items to the raffle currently include:  SmugMug,  Skip’s Summer School, Showit Sites, CameraSlingers, WolfSnap Designs, ShootDotEdit and Lowepro.  It’s the perfect combination of photographers and vendors, working together for a common cause and everyone walking the talk, helping to make a difference this holiday season.