Copperas Cove elementary students provide Christmas artwork for H-E-B shoppers

By WENDY SLEDD

Special to the Leader-Press

When you get your groceries bagged at H-E-B Plus in Copperas Cove in the week leading up to Christmas, you will also be taking home some custom artwork. Hundreds of Copperas Cove ISD elementary students have drawn and colored Christmas designs on the grocery store chain’s brown paper bags to help customers bring home some holiday spirit.

“Making things for other people is kind and fun,” Fairview/Miss Jewell Elementary kindergartener Rowen Bennett, age 5, said. “Sometimes people feel lonely and when you make something for them it’s gives them happiness in their heart and makes them feel love.”

Kindergarten teacher Brandy Olivares said she appreciates the opportunity to have her students reciprocate with a project to H-E-B that will touch the entire community.

“With this being the holiday season, my students have been working on special handmade crafts to take home to their families. Each time, they ask if we can make extra to give to someone,” Olivares said. “Students from higher grades, neighboring districts, elderly people, and other community members have all been recipients of these small items. Often times they will receive handmade thank you cards back, or I will take a picture of the people receiving the items and show it to them. It gives them a sense of pride knowing that even as little kids, they can do kind things to have a positive impact on other people.”

While shopping in the store, Olivares shared with H-E-B associates that her students were working on their grocery bag art and would have it ready the week of Christmas.

“I asked if there was something I could take back to my students to show them that H-E-B appreciates the students’ hard work and they provided me with some H-E-B Buddy stickers,” Olivares said. “The kids took their jobs very seriously becoming instant H-E-B partners and made sure every last detail of their artwork was perfect.”

Kindergartener Willow Convery, age 6, said it’s really fun to have a job.

“I think that were the greatest class and so smart that they wanted us to do something different than learning for a little bit,” Convery said. “They probably saw that we learned a lot and that we are good drawers.”

CCISD elementary students decorated 1,500 brown paper bags that will be given to customers beginning December 16 through December 24.

“I think it was nice that they asked us to be buddies because they probably saw our class was good and thought we could help,” kindergartener Isabella Powell, age 5, said.

“Drawing and coloring on the bags is the kindest thing to do for another person,” kindergartener Emilee Pearson, age 6, said. “It makes another person feel happy when they see that you thought about them.”