LEOMINSTER — When all was said and done over 100 children’s Christmas list wishes were granted thanks to one woman’s determination and selflessness.
Like so many others, city resident Danielle Fisher has mixed emotions about the holiday season. After losing her mother in 2019 she found herself really struggling during the holidays without her and then her father died a year ago.
As they prepared for her parents’ services and then the service for her adult children’s dad, who passed away this past summer, she found herself wishing they had more family photos.
“In their memory I really wanted to do something that would make them proud, so the wheels started turning,” Fisher said. “Then I found myself thinking, what if I offered donation only photo sessions? It would be a great way to provide families with the opportunity to capture memories together and also provide a way for them to give back to those in need during the holiday season, for whatever amount they could afford. And I was perfectly OK if that amount was only $1 or a can of corn.”
She made a Facebook post offering holiday mini sessions while on a mission trip in Cambodia, where she has traveled to many times to help the kids and people who live there. Fisher was shocked when she woke up the next morning and had hundreds of comments and messages waiting for her, people eager to be part of her idea.
“Surprised feels like an understatement!” the Worcester native expressed. “While many families wanted photos for their holiday cards, just as many messaged me saying how they haven’t been able to budget for family photos in a long time and how grateful they were for this opportunity.”
That positive element carried her through as she set out planning the large-scale effort. During five different hours-long photo sessions held over three weekends in November and December at the house she and her husband had moved into just two months prior, over 150 families sat for photos taken by seven photographers from the region who were more than happy to donate their time and talents along with volunteers who helped Fisher keep things running smoothly.
“I really want to thank my husband, who never once complained when I turned a ‘small charity event’ into a five-day event with hundreds of strangers on our front lawn,” Fisher said. “In an already busy holiday season, he let me take over our new home and garage that we just moved into and fill it with donations before we even unpacked.”
The incredible feat pulled together by Fisher and her team went off without a hitch. There were lots of smiles and sweet moments during the photo sessions and even the opportunity to take photos with Santa if they wished — and only a handful of meltdowns by the younger subjects.
When asked what she appreciated most about people showing up in droves for their scheduled timeslots with generous clothing and food donations in tow, Fisher said it’s hard to put it into words.
“From start to finish, it would be impossible to name just one thing I appreciated. I was, and am, so grateful for all of it,” she said. “The amount of strangers willing to help me make this so successful was incredible. From the talented photographers to the volunteers to all the families — it couldn’t have been more perfect.”
The families who had their photos taken donated what they could afford in place of a sitting fee. Astonishingly enough, nearly $10,000 was raised that way, which Fisher said was “the result of their gratitude, their generosity, and their desire to make an impact as much as it was mine.”
When asked how she feels about reaching that high amount, something she never expected, Fisher expressed being thankful and talked about “the generosity and patience of everyone who attended and from so many that didn’t, people’s gratitude, the friends I made, and the connections I found within my new town.”
Seeing the results made all the hours upon hours it took her to organize and carry out her vision more than worth it, and she shared an interesting fact — out of the over 700 people who were photographed, Fisher knew less that 20 of them.
“To see families dressed up in their holiday clothes, laughing and playing together on my front lawn, and then seeing all of it captured for them in beautiful photos was exactly what I envisioned,” Fisher said. “To see photos from this fundraiser on people’s Facebook, on their Christmas cards, and added as their profile pictures because they loved them so much brought me so much joy.”
She had initially only planned to collect food donations because people’s SNAP benefits had been shut off by the federal government. Once she hit 200 families who expressed an interest in the photo sessions, she “knew a bigger impact could be made.”
“I saw food banks struggling and knew I could help and it sort of took off from there.”
She posted frequently about it on social media and people who weren’t even part of the holiday mini sessions responded in a big way. The numbers are astonishing. Several large bags of donated coats and clothing went to Abby’s House in Worcester along with $500 worth of toiletries, paper towels, tissues and other items plus a $100 monetary donation, over 600 pounds of food to Ginny’s Helping Hand and $1,050 for the Leominster nonprofit organization’s Angel Tree children, dozens of coats to the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office coat drive, $4,110 in monetary donations for adopted families, and $2,000 in Amazon Wishlist donations, which equated to 118 toys and gift cards.
Thanks to Fisher’s fundraiser, 60 children at a New York school who needed sponsors along with seven families with 18 children among them, six additional children, and two special needs adults were showered with gifts — including age-appropriate toys, clothing, games and books.
“Every charity I donated items to were recommendations from the community that participated in the event,” Fisher said. “There was an overwhelming amount of people who recommended Ginny’s Helping Hand and since I just moved to Leominster, that was an easy choice, and Abby’s House has always been close to my heart for the work they do for women and children.”
In addition, the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office and Salvation Army in Fitchburg were two other “amazing connections” she made from local recommendations.
“At the end of the day, I really tried to help as many as charities possible since they all had some connection to families participating in the event,” Fisher said.
Ginny’s Helping Hand Executive Director Brandon Robbins said everyone on the team there is “deeply grateful for Danielle’s extraordinary efforts to help provide a hand up to families in need this holiday season.”
“Through her leadership and dedication, we were able to expand the number of families and children we served at Christmas, reaching even more neighbors during a critical time,” he said. “It was truly heartwarming to see the way she brought the community together in support of one another. We thank Danielle for her generosity and look forward to continuing to work alongside her in the future.”
Worcester County Sheriff Lew Evangelidis echoed his sentiments.
“As sheriff, I have been blessed to come in contact with so many selfless and extraordinary people who do God’s work in our community and Danielle is a prime example of such a person,” he said. “Her commitment to serving others, both here in Worcester County and around the world, speaks volumes about her character. Danielle’s generous donation of winter coats to our annual drive directly helps us place warm jackets in the hands of residents who need them most. She truly exemplifies what it means to care for your neighbor and give back to the community.”
Holden-based photographer Breana Bernard was one of the photographers, capturing 27 “beautiful families” during the two sessions she participated in.
“The goal was for each family to donate to people in need in the community in exchange for free family photos,” she posted on social media afterwards along with highlights from the hundreds of photos she took. “I had an awesome time and feel so blessed to have met so many amazing people and grew friendships along the way. Danielle Fisher is a saint with a heart of gold who coordinated and executed this huge undertaking.”
Lowell resident Lisa Linehan also expressed deep appreciation for Fisher, who delivered gifts for her whole family including her nine-year-old son Jack, who was diagnosed with PANS/PANDAS last May after being hospitalized with seizures.
Jack’s journey and their financial struggles as a result of his mom having to quit her job to care for him was featured in a Sentinel & Enterprise article that ran in November, which Linehan said she is also thankful for.
“Sharing Jack’s story was already meaningful, but Danielle’s efforts to organize Christmas gifts during such a challenging time went above and beyond,” Linehan said. “With our family living on one income while I care for Jack full-time, this meant more to us than words can express. Her compassion and generosity brought comfort and joy when we needed it most. We are truly grateful.”
Some of the photographers, volunteers and friends of hers gathered at Fisher’s house on Dec. 9 to help organize the large bounty of gifts and donations, a group that including her 22-year-daughter Deyana Bonardi who was home from college on break and had taken the Santa photos one of the days and one of the moms whose family had been photographed. Fisher has already started planning next year’s holiday photos fundraiser and said she “cannot wait to see how many families return and how many new faces I’ll be able to meet.”
“I’m truly overwhelmed. It makes me so emotional to even think about,” she said when asked how she’s feeling about all of it and how it went overall. “When I compare my initial goal to what this ending up becoming, it’s such a beautiful reminder of how much good there is in the world — and when a community comes together, we can truly make such a huge impact.”
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