New Fundraising Project at the 10th Annual St. Andrew Preschool “Art Makes Me Smart” Gala Benefited The Storehouse of Collin County
On the first day of school, 215 students from St. Andrew Methodist Church’s Preschool began working on an art project – the first of many that would be created throughout the school year to be featured at the 2024 “Art Makes Me Smart” St. Andrew Preschool Art Gala, celebrating its 10th anniversary year.
On March 24, parents, students, teachers, friends, and family gathered at St. Andrew Methodist Church in Plano to see over 1,000 pieces of art created by children in five age levels, 12 months to Pre-K 5, and enjoyed an afternoon full of artistic experiences. Throughout the school year, their art teacher, Erin West, visits each of the 22 classrooms, bringing her “Art on a Cart,” with all the supplies needed for a specific project. The goal is to expose the students to different mediums, art forms, and artists. Some projects take place over many weeks demonstrating the processes involved in creating a masterpiece. Students learned about acrylic painting, collage, batik, Chihuly with coffee filters, and they used a brayer for printmaking.
This year, the students also participated in a fundraising project for The Storehouse of Collin County. Inspired by Empty Bowls, an international project to fight hunger, each grade level decorated a bowl auctioned at the gala. This project exposed the students to using clay, processing through a kiln, glazing, and painting. While working on the bowls, the children learned more about the mission of The Storehouse of Collin County to feed, clothe, and care for neighbors in need. Through this silent auction, $1,500 was raised to benefit The Storehouse of Collin County.
“Our own Mrs. Erin handmade each bowl on a pottery wheel, and the children painted them,” said Pride Mersbach, director, St. Andrew Preschool. “These bowls are an important reminder that there are many who are less fortunate in our community and how we can strive to be more like Jesus.”
On March 27, Mersbach and West gathered a group of their students to present the check to The Storehouse of Collin County. The students learned more about the work of The Storehouse’s Seven Loaves Food Pantry from Jeff Morton, COO, The Storehouse, who gave them a tour and showed them bags of food that are provided to the neighbors who come to the food pantry.
The children enjoyed learning more about The Storehouse and several shared their thoughts during their visit. Upon seeing the bags of food, one child said, “This is awesome…they have the same fruits and vegetable we have at my house. One little girl admired the flowers that would be provided to neighbors that afternoon and said, “I bet that makes them feel special.” After the tour ended, a little boy shared, “I would like to work here someday!” After the check presentation, a little boy expressed with joy, “Now they won’t be poor anymore.”
“We were thrilled to have the children involved in the check presentation as we know the importance of teaching them to help others and give back at an early age,” added Mersbach. “The Storehouse is doing amazing work in our community, and our students, while only preschoolers, could see that!”
“The Storehouse is so honored to be the recipient of the students’ fundraising efforts this year,” said Candace Winslow, CEO, The Storehouse of Collin County. “The proceeds from the beautiful bowls they created will help us feed our neighbors. On behalf of those families, we thank the St. Andrew Preschool for their thoughtfulness and generosity.”
For more information about St. Andrew Preschool, visit standrewmethodist.org/ministries/st-andrew-preschool or call 972-380-5323. St. Andrew Preschool students learn to love Christ, love others, love learning, and take those lessons far beyond the walls of the school.
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St. Andrew Methodist Church, founded in 1986, is located on 21.2 acres in Plano, Texas, and has more than 7,000 members. The church hosts over 2,000 people each weekend for worship services in both a traditional style with the classic pipe organ and a contemporary style with an LED center screen and lighting technology. St. Andrew extends an open invitation for all to be a part of a community ready to embrace faith in Christ that is real, practical, and life changing. Many opportunities are provided to gather on campus and serve locally, regionally, and globally. Through Invite Ministries, St. Andrew’s publishing house, and Beacon of Light, a mental health ministry, St. Andrew offers innovative ways to reach Christians within its congregation and out in the community. The new 300-seat Hasley Chapel provides worship and other gathering opportunities in a scenic and more intimate setting. In 2022 St. Andrew became an independent Methodist Church seeking to live more like Jesus every day and to learn in deeper ways what it means to follow His teachings, live in community, and serve the world. 5801 W. Plano Parkway, Plano, Texas 75093. Visit www.standrewmethodist.org; call (972)380-8001.
The Storehouse of Collin County, a nonprofit founded in 2009, provides short-term assistance and long-term transformation to residents of Collin, Dallas, and Denton Counties through four programs. Seven Loaves Food Pantry serves 5,000 families each month; Joseph’s Coat Clothing Closet provides clothing at no cost; Project Hope Neighbor Care offers case management and resource referral; and The Academy Education Program provides free and reduced-cost classes to assist with language, job, or life skills development. During its previous fiscal year, The Storehouse served 146,922 unduplicated neighbors with the support of more than 2,000 volunteers. In August 2023, the North Texas Food Bank honored The Storehouse with the Hope for Tomorrow Award. Visit www.thestorehousecc.org. The Storehouse EIN: 27-1883333