Look for the Helpers: Virtual portraits, donating masks and street art
As our area is faced with ongoing changes due to a growing pandemic, we are bringing stories of people doing good in the community during a time of uncertainty.
Look for the helpers.
Mister Rogers
FaceTime Photography
A Santa Barbara photographer is taking virtual portraits while social distancing.
Jonas Jungblut photographs his subjects via FaceTime. He directs them how to pose, and then takes screenshots creating beautiful black and white images. The images are posted on his Instagram page.
The commercial freelance photographer said his projects and jobs are postponed because of the COVID-19 crisis.
He said the virtual photo sessions allow him to remain creative and stay connected with people.
Jungblut said he's photographing people from all over the world via FaceTime.
Sewing for a cause
A Santa Barbara seamstress has has found her purpose again by sewing and donating masks to the community.
Ellen Sztuk's business "The Stitch-Witch Alterations" was hit hard because of the pandemic. Instead of being depressed, she got to work.
Sztuk saw a post on Facebook about the need for masks and started sewing right away.
She has made more than 300 masks and already donated 100 of them to local pharmacy staff, food workers at the Santa Barbara Unified School District, grocery store workers and elderly people in the community.
Sztuk said people in the community have donated elastic, fabric and money to keep her going. She's shipping masks all over California and the United States.
A Floral Masterpiece
A local florist isn't letting flowers go to waste. Rebekah Hofberg of Intrepid Floral Company works in the wedding industry.
She said she's had to cancel and postpone multiple events because of the Coronavirus.
Hofberg said she decided to turn a building into a floral masterpiece using flowers donated by local growers.
Hofberg and her crew worked over the weekend and she saw a lot of people stopping by to check it out.
Hofberg said she just wanted to make people, "feel happy."
Know of any other helpers making a difference during these trying times? Send Alys an email and let her know!
