Calgary teen's artwork helps to feed hungry children in Bowness

Front-line Fighters, a watercolour painting created by a Calgary teen, is helping to raise supplies for a lunch program in Bowness.

Calgary — More than 3,000 granola bars were donated on Thursday afternoon in Bowness to help with a vital program that was started by two of the community's teachers.

Maisie Mattatall, a Grade 11 student at Central Memorial High School in southwest Calgary heard about the Bowness free lunches program and immediately wanted to help and give back to the community.

"I heard about the lunches program through Julie Van Rosendaal," said Mattatall, a performance and visual arts program student. "Food and feeding people is very important, especially through trying times like these."

She learned of the need of the free lunches program and how some families are now relying on them to keep their families fed because of the coronavirus.

That's how she came up with the idea to use her artistic skills to help in the effort, drawing inspiration from her mother, who is a medical worker.

"I feel like they put so much work and effort and hours into their work around the safety of everybody and that needs to be accounted for."

Now, her watercolour print Front-line Fighters has been transformed into cards. She says there's been so much interest in them that the first batch already sold out.

The sales have so far raised $500, which is enough to pay for 50 boxes of granola bars.

If you’d like to donate, you can buy some of her artwork or commission her talent. Mattatall's Instagram handle is @_maisie.aie.art_