Several community groups in Penticton, B.C., have pooled their resources to create art supply care packages to distribute to people in need — hoping that the healing power of art can provide comfort and distraction in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bethany Handfield with the Penticton and District Community Arts Council said she realized just how much people of all ages were struggling during virtual town halls held by her organization.
“I was really noticing some of the struggles that a lot of our community members were having, a lot of challenges people were facing from financial losses, to additional child care, [and] a lot of the social isolation that was happening with our senior population,” she said.
“I’m really hoping that with the challenges of having children at home, homeschooling and that type of thing, it’ll take a little bit of financial pressure off of families that would maybe have to go out and get these types of supplies. We hope it will give everybody a bit of a creative outlet — we know how powerful the healing power of art can be for everyone.”
There are two types of packages being distributed. Some are aimed at younger children, with supplies like crayons, construction paper, pom poms, and googly eyes. The second type of package — geared toward seniors and older teens — contains watercolours, pencil crayons, pastels, and watercolour paper pads.
In total, 360 packages were distributed, funded by Foundry Penticton and the Arts Council. The organization OneSky helped with buying, and local businesses, which remained anonymous, donated supplies.
Handfield said she hopes to one day see some of the artwork inspired by the project.
“We hope that giving people a bit of access to these supplies, they can have a bit of relief from the scary times that have been happening lately,” she said.
