SOUTH BRUNSWICK — A South Brunswick, Middlesex County, photographer hopes to turn a passion project into a vehicle for change for the homeless in Lakewood.

Sherry Rubel, a staff photographer for the Crossroads Theater in New Brunswick, is using the artist fundraising platform Kickstarter to raise money for a photography project titled “Busload of Hope.”

The project will raise awareness about the devastating consequences of the economic recession in the region, as well as donations for the homeless.

Rubel has been visiting Tent City, a community of people who live in the woods in Lakewood. She has spoken with the people who live there and learned much about them and their troubles, and has been taking portraits that she said reveal a lot about them.

“I love the stories people show through their faces,” she said. “I have one picture that stands out already of a man who lives there in front of his makeshift shelter. We can talk about it, but when you actually see it, it’s a different point of view with a different impact.”

Rubel said that when she was growing up, she spent many hours in her father Harry’s dark room, where he developed mostly landscape photographs. Her interest in photography began in the early 1970s, when she took portraits of people on the streets of South America during a trip.

Since then, Rubel has immersed herself in artistic pursuits, attending Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University as a dance and theater major and working with the Institute for Arts and Humanities for more than 10 years.

Rubel had been searching for a project “about people and with depth” for a while before learning about the issues at Tent City.

“I thought, ‘Wow, this is a really fascinating story,’ ” she said. “It really touched my heart and seemed like something I could get passionate about.”

With the money raised for her project on Kickstarter, Rubel plans to exhibit her black-and-white photographs at galleries across the state and create a self-published hardcover book. The project will only be funded if at least $5,000 is pledged by Feb. 20. So far, a total of seven people have pledged a little more than $200.

If Rubel does not reach her monetary goal, she plans to continue photographing the people and environment in the Lakewood community. She believes documenting the situation has an inherent historical importance and that people who view the photographs can learn a great deal about the homeless.

“Alot of people think [the homeless] are there because they are lazy or drunk or drug addicts and that they don’t want to put effort into participating in society,” she said. “My feeling is that we are all a step away from homelessness, depending on the circumstances of our lives.”

If the necessary funds are raised, original music by Steve Conte and The Crazy Truth will accompany the photographs, playing at whatever gallery they are placed in and behind the images in a slideshow.

The band’s song “Busload of Hope” was an inspiration for the project. The song details the actions of the Rev. Steve Brigham, who gave up his lifestyle to live in a converted school bus in Tent City and bring attention to the community’s plight.

“He is Tent City’s ray of hope that brought light to homelessness,” Rubel said. “When I started to listen to the song, it seemed very appropriate to use behind the imagery, so wherever the photos go, ‘Busload of Hope’will follow.”

Individuals can donate to help Rubel collect $5,000 with a pledge of as little as $5, which is not processed unless she reaches the final goal. For more information, visit the website at www.kickstarter.com/projects/1096870694/ busload-of-hope or call 732-221-6678.

Contact Deanna McLafferty at DMcLafferty@gmnews.com