While frontline workers risk their lives every day at work, Powell River artist Amber Graves-Salmond wants to recognize their work while donating money to a local charity. Graves-Salmond made the decision to recognize her mom and her coworkers by designing and printing shirts to help raise money for Powell River Action Centre Food Bank.
Six years ago, Graves-Salmond had a back injury that gave her time to get back into art. She started by making smaller pieces for friends and family, which soon grew her artistic ability, then she began making bigger and more meaningful pieces.
When the COVID-19 pandemic started and frontline workers had to step up and work harder than ever than before, she saw that a lot of nurses and doctors were being recognized for their work, but people such as her mother, a personal support worker (PSW), were not getting the same amount of recognition. Her mother, who lives and works in Ontario, had been placed with a COVID-19 patient.
“I have family and friends on the front line, and I felt like they weren’t getting enough credit,” said Graves-Salmond, “I made a design for my mom and all her PSW coworkers and health-care workers, and then I made a design for the everyday heroes like my stepmom and my dad who are truck drivers.”
Graves-Salmond said she wants to bring attention to bankers, transit operators and delivery drivers who work the front line. She thought that even though these workers might not be helping to cure or stop COVID-19, they are still helping to keep the economy going.
It was two months ago when her husband brought up the idea that she should put her artwork on t-shirts and sell them to raise money for charity.
At first, she found it difficult to find someone to print her shirts, especially as her images are hand-drawn, but then she was able to find Blue Steel Imaging to do the printing.
Now Graves-Salmond has several designs in honour of frontline workers which she is selling for $25; 20 per cent of all sales will go to the food bank.
She said she wanted to choose a charity that was hurting the most since the pandemic started. After researching charities in Powell River that were lacking in funding, she found that the food bank needed a lot of support.
She saw other, bigger, companies doing similar initiatives where they donate a certain percentage of their sales to charities, but they were only donating five or ten per cent; Graves-Salmond felt she could do more.
She spent most of May focusing on the shirts to make sure they were perfect. Now that they are done, she wants to visit local and essential businesses and hand out the shirts to workers, showing them support for all the hard work they are doing, and to say thank you.
Graves-Salmond will hand deliver shirts for in-town orders, or ship to other locations. To make a purchase or for more information, email [email protected] or contact her on Facebook or Instagram @zamberart.
