BHS Art has embraced community outreach, specifically with The Lord’s Pantry, by providing artwork made by students to the newly-remodeled building.

Art teacher Amanda Harter was contacted by The Lord’s Pantry before the remodeling, and was asked if any students would like to volunteer on creating paintings.

“They wanted paintings created by the students so that students could be invested and feel like they have some ownership in The Lord’s Pantry,” Harter said. “So by the students being asked to do artwork, it’s their Lord’s Pantry too.”

The Lord’s Pantry didn’t have a specific theme to the paintings but wanted them to be uplifting and inspiring. They did have scripture verses that they wanted to include on some of the paintings, but only if the students wanted to include them. It was completely voluntary for the students who participated, but students at every grade level did.

“Although Mrs. Harter provided us with a guide for each of our art pieces, we still had the choice to expand on our ideas. I chose to include some of my favorite colors and recreated them a bit to make it more original. The artwork included a vase of flowers, and I love flowers, which made the whole process far more exciting for me,” senior Maria Dominguez said. “It was so fun and enjoyable; I felt so honored to be able to have received the opportunity to express my creativity and show the public the skillful talent that I believe myself to have as well as further represent the art community of Buffalo High School.”

The Lord’s Pantry didn’t specifically ask how many they wanted; instead, they said they would take as many as they can get. With the building being significantly larger, they have more space to be organized and they’re not in need of any food donation, Harter said.

“What they would like to do is alternate the artwork, like have different sets of paintings so that every time someone came in, they would see something different,” Harter said. “These paintings are meant for people to feel hopeful because sometimes it’s not comfortable to ask for help. So they want the paintings to provide some sort of comfort and welcoming for people who are going through a rough time.”