In every small community, there are people who help the town run, who are there when they are needed, who do the jobs everyone else is too busy to do, or no one wants to bother to do.

Maria and I belong to a local food Co-Op, it is member owned and was created to offer healthy food to people inexpensively. It’s survival depends on its members helping out. Maria is a member, she works for one afternoon a month there.

Steve is one of the linch pins of the Co-Op, he is always there when needed, and when other people can’t show up to do their work or forget.

It is hard to imagine the Co-Op without him, he is at the cash register, unpacking food shipments, cleaning. He also has a delicious dry wit and sense of humor. He was startled – dubious – when I asked to do his portrait – he was having a cup of coffee – getting ready to take over the cash register.

Those always turn out to be the best portraits, another of the people in my life.

And he seemed like  natural for the holiday images portraits I am doing this Christmas. People come and go, but Steve matters in a very particular way.