The Penticton and District Community Arts Council is excited to announce that they have successfully delivered hundreds of art supply care packs to various community service groups.
The arts council says the project was a unique partnership between the Penticton Arts Council, Foundry Penticton, and OneSky, with support from an anonymous local business.
A total of 360 art supply packs have now been delivered to the following organizations: Starfish Pack, SOWINS, SOICS, Better at Home, Foundry Penticton, OneSky Child Resources, Discovery House, and Compass House.
The packs were geared to the different age groups and contained everything from crayons and coloured pencils to art paper pads and googly eyes. The goal of the project was to give vulnerable community members access to creative supplies during the pandemic.
READ MORE: Penticton and District Community Arts Council holding virtual scavenger hunt
Arts council administrator Bethany Handfield had been attending community foundation Zoom meetings and heard how vulnerable members of our community were being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This prompted her to reach out to local social service providers, this was when she discovered that Foundry Penticton was also embarking on a similar project. From there, they joined forces to bring art supply care packs to children and families, teens, and seniors.
“We knew that some members of our community were really suffering during the pandemic from financial losses, additional childcare, and social isolation. Hopefully the care packs will brighten their days and provide some fun creative activities,” said Handfield.
The packs contain copies of the “Dream Now. Visit Later” colouring book, featuring local artists, that was a partnership between Travel Penticton and the arts council. The book features many images of Okanagan landmarks.
As a bonus, there were also several activity pages created by artist Em Ludington, who went to high school in Penticton and now works at Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver. “An important message that came from the town hall was the lack of access to technology that many of our community members experience. With everything being geared towards online right now, we wanted to ensure that the recipients had access to these fun resources,” said Handfield.
To find out more about the Penticton and District Community Arts Council pentictonartscouncil.com.
READ MORE: New face for Penticton Arts Council
@PentictonNews
editor@pentictonwesternnews.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.