Photographer takes family portraits from distance to benefit food bank during COVID-19 outbreak

CARY, N.C. (WTVD) -- With families home together for the foreseeable future, what better time for a picture?

"I was itching, I needed to get out of the house, I wanted to do it in from a safe distance, obviously."

Greg Ng is here to oblige. By day, he's the CEO of a digital consulting firm. Nights and weekends now, he's devoted to the "Front Steps Project," a worldwide photographers initiative to raise money for charities.

"Last I heard, over 250 photographers around the world, joining this movement, more and more every day," Ng said.

MORE: Complete coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic

In return for a donation to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, Ng, who's normally a soccer photographer, will show up at your house and snap a family photo on your front stoop.

Mandy Gooding noticed Ng's social media and decided she wanted her family to get involved.

"He started posting it on Facebook, and I saw it for a couple of days and then stopped and went to his page and read about it and it was such a, such a great thing to be doing that, we just decided to go ahead and sign up," Gooding said.

Ng is providing some joy, but he's also receiving it. As he told me, "It's incredibly fulfilling. I have some families that come out and they say, 'you know what, I haven't really actually talked to someone in over a week.' Maybe they're using video conferencing and things like that but human interaction is so important, especially in this time."

With Ng's help, countless Triangle families have a memento of this crazy time spent together.

"The unofficial tagline is even though we're separated, we're together and what's amazing about this is, these families are really having a great sense of togetherness, within their own homes," he said.

Gooding knows the picture will carry heavy meaning for years to come.

"It's a great way to kind of, you know, document our time in the house," she said.

With each new photo, Ng is capturing something different.

"Some have said, 'hey this is a great excuse for me to change out of my PJs or put some makeup on.' Some have come out in themes, but people just really appreciate the opportunity. I like it because it's basically taking a time capsule," Ng said.