By Jessica Dillon
A successful canned food drive was recently held at the Grace Network Pumpkin Patch by Daydream Photography’s Adam Davis. The drive offered free photos in exchange for five canned goods and was organized in response to threats to the SNAP program in Virginia.
Davis said his fiancée, Melinda, inspired him to step in because he usually doesn’t deal with political issues. The drive brought in 650 canned goods, with one donor, Laney Adkins, contributing $430 in goods that she collected from friends and family before purchasing the food herself.
Certain shelf-stable items, like evaporated milk, were in high demand.
“A lot of times, evaporated milk is something that’s not really thought of as a donation, and it’s often overlooked. We look at canned foods and think of peas and green beans and stuff like that, but things like evaporated milk can help make other common donated box goods like mac and cheese,” Davis said.
Davis, who has organized many fundraisers, said he believes in building a meaningful community.
“I think a lot of people in our community don’t need an incentive to give back or be part of making a difference. Most of the time, they just need something meaningful to be part of something that lets them feel they’ve made an impact,” he said.
He added that it can be difficult to make people feel part of something bigger.
“That’s why events like the one we held recently are so important and so special to continue. It puts businesses like Daydream out there, and they get to show up, donate to make a difference, and meet those who organized the event. It’s that human connection and that moment of being face to face that can make someone feel like they are a part of what you’re doing,” Davis said, and acknowledged the area has experienced challenges and negativity.
“I’ve seen the furniture boom. I’ve seen the moment where we looked like we weren’t even going to be a town on the map. Now everything is generated through small businesses and community and stuff like that,” he said.
He said starting community-based initiatives helped him see the potential of the area and its people.
“When I started doing the community-based stuff, I started seeing what we have. I started seeing the people that felt like we didn’t have what I was seeing. That’s why I started at Martinsville Monday,” Davis said. He called the area a “hidden gem” and said if the community came together, they could become a “dangerous force.”
Davis credited his fiancée with supporting many of the events he’s organized.
“She showed up when it’s not very easy for her to show up. Just like the thing that we did on Sunday, she checked everybody in,” he said. Melinda, he added, is “pretty much the reason all of this started.”
Davis also shared his personal struggles, including losing a bank job of ten years and uncertainties about photography as a sustainable business.
“I’m making decent money, but there’s still that concern of, like, is this sustainable? I’ve carried it on this long because it’s not just a business. It’s passion. It feels like a purpose,” he said.
He said his work fills a need in the community and gives him perspective on others’ struggles. Recent Medicaid cuts affected his family.
“So, what that looks like for us is maybe higher co-pays for Delilah. We actually were getting diapers because she’s 8 years old, but because of her disability, she’s still in diapers. So now, diapers are no longer something that we can expect to be delivered to us through Medicaid, but instead we have to make that purchase. And making purchases for diapers for a newborn or a toddler, that’s expensive in itself, but for an 8-year-old, it’s much more expensive,” Davis said.
He also spoke about mental health challenges, including depression, and said that finding community and running a business helped him recover.
“We are living the dream of doing what we’re passionate about, but it’s coming at a heavy price that usually we don’t show because our passion needs to be louder than our suffering,” he said.
Davis invited anyone with community ideas to reach out to him or one of the other business owners he partners with.
