Warrensville photographer Angelia Shepherd gave selflessly of her time, expertise and money this weekend to raise funds for Ashe Outreach Ministries. She provided photographs of kids and adults in costume, or anyone who wished a picture, in exchange for three cans of food or $5. All the proceeds went to the School Backpack Program that helps provide food for children in the county’s three elementary schools and the middle school.

Through photographic efforts on Friday evening at a temporary West Jefferson studio donated by businessman Dale Baldwin, and at the farmer’s market on Saturday evening, Shepherd photographed more than 146 people, collected 211 cans of food and raised $250.

“I love to photograph children,” Shepherd said. “And helping this program was a way I could help children. This is a program that supports children.”

Rev. Rob Brooks with Ashe Outreach Ministries said the Backpack Program is in its third year providing about 300 backpacks of food each week to students at Blue Ridge, Mountain View and Westwood elementary schools and Ashe County Middle School. Feeding America (formerly America’s Second Harvest) sponsors 50 of the packs and the rest are sponsored through fundraisers and private donations.

“What I like best about it is that the bus drivers hand the backpacks out to the kids as they’re getting off the bus. Or if someone is picking up a child, they are given the backpack. So none of the children feel embarrassed or singled out,” said Shepherd. “Everybody has hard times, and this is just helps make sure the kids have something to eat.”

Shepherd is thankful to Dale Baldwin for providing a place for her to photograph the kids in costume on Friday evening during the downtown business candy giveaway. “It’s important to be downtown when the businesses are handing out candy,” she said. “And someone suggested I go to the farmer’s market on Saturday. That was great. We had a big crowd.”

Folks lined up for pictures on Saturday evening. Shepherd had provided a wonderful autumn background of hay bales and haystacks, pumpkins and leaves. She shot the pictures with her digital camera, and the prints were made right on the spot. Shepherd covered the costs for processing so all profits made from the event went to the Backpack Program.

Shepherd has been in the photography business for about seven years, the past five full time, and works from her studio in Warrensville.