Draw Together: Art Kits for Kids in Covid-19

Covid-19 is interrupting kids’ schools and schedules, keeping them from friends and loved ones, and exposing them to sky-high stress levels. They’re going through a LOT right now. Drawing is one of the most powerful ways kids can process their emotions, and help them hope, cope, and heal - while having a lot of fun.


And all they need? Art supplies. But for many families, paying for food and shelter is tough right now - there’s no budget left. That’s where we come in!



#DrawTogether is raising urgently needed funds to put art supplies in the hands of kids who need them the most. By partnering with local organizations like The Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco  and local art supply stores like Arch Drafting Supply , funds go to support local small businesses pressed in this hard time, and art supplies are delivered through community based organizations already distributing essential supplies to family. This ensures that the art kits reach the kids who need them the most.

We are beginning in the Bay Area, and will replicate and scale this model to provide Draw Together Art Kits across the country: alongside a network of trusted community partners and beloved local arts stores. (Some of our partners are listed below!)

Each Art Kit includes:
- drawing paper
- pencil
- pencil sharpener
- super fun eraser
- watercolor paints and brush
- crayons
- outrageously inspiring activity sheet

For just $20 we can assemble a kit; our goal is to raise  $27,500 and reach 1,250 families in the SF Bay Area. A small portion of monies raised will go to support Intersection of the Arts, who are providing fiscal sponsorship and resources making it possible for us to realize this project on such short notice!



Who we are:
#DrawTogether with WendyMac began as a rapid response to school closures resulting from the Coronavirus pandemic by providing free live daily online art classes  to thousands of kids in over 40 countries.  Art classes are archived online and freely available. Now a non-profit dedicated to getting art into every home, #DrawTogether understands art is an emergency relief service that helps kids cope, hope and connect in hard times.

Wendy MacNaughton  is a NYT-Bestselling illustrator, and the co- founder #DrawTogether. She is trained as a social worker and is a former visual columnist for the New York Times and California Sunday Magazine. She now teaches kids (of all ages) to draw Monday-Friday.

Caroline Paul  is a co-founder of #DrawTogether. She a NYT-Bestselling writer and is now better known as "The Art Assistant."

Vinny Eng is the Program Director of #DrawTogether. He is a kid for life, mental health advocate, and grateful friend helping Wendy and Caroline to realize the vision of #DrawTogether. He is a community organizer building local solutions and kinder communities and is very excited to connect helpers of all ages!

Intersection for the Arts  is the fiscal sponsor making it possible for #DrawTogether to realize its vision so quickly. It is a bedrock Bay Area arts nonprofit that’s dedicated to helping artists grow, thinking big, and taking weird and wonderful risks to make our communities better, healthier, more exciting and dynamic places to live our lives.




Who we are working with;
By working with local art supply stores we are able to support small businesses in this hard time. 
Arch Drafting Supply  SF

By working with knowledgeable, experienced local Community organizations to distribute the supplies we make sure they get into the hands of the kids who need them the most. 
Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco
Coleman Advocates for Children & Youth 
Chinatown Community Development Center 
Now Hunters Point 
Refugee and Immigrant Supports in Education SF Mission Education Center 
Support for Families of Children with Disabilities 

Special thanks to Michelle Morrison  and Dropbox , our partners in launching this endeavor, with the initial creation of 500 art kits which will benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco.

Heartfelt thanks to Thao Nguyen for composing original music and Alexander Varheid for editing expertise for our Video Trailer!



More about #DrawTogether:
New York Times-Bestselling Illustrator Wendy MacNaughton, along with her wife Caroline Paul, offers free 30-minute online drawing lessons for kids of all ages all across the globe, every school day through a live Instagram broadcast  (later available on YouTube  with a full archive of on-demand lessons - 20 episodes plus more to come!) In these uncertain times, the classes offer structure, creative experiences and tools that fuel imagination and teach kids to look closely at the world. They also alleviate stress and the impacts of isolation, help kids to process emotions and build confidence, and enable connections down the block and around the world - all while learning to draw an awesome dinosaur. #DrawTogether is raising emergency funds to supply underserved Bay Area kids with art supplies sourced from local businesses, with a vision to scale up and provide these kits nationally, energized by one simple premise: Everything is better when we draw together.