ABILENE – This fall will mark the fifth year that Abilene High teacher April Rifenburgh has used art to reach the Abilene community, helping to bring some holiday cheer to those who might not normally be able to participate in either Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Art teachers all over the district send holiday cards to Rifenburgh who collects them and delivers them to H-E-B. From there, H-E-B distributes the 500-plus cards to Meals on Wheels for delivery. In previous years, this coincided with a one-night art exhibition also spearheaded by Rifenburgh during H-E-B’s annual Feast of Sharing event. Unfortunately, Feast of Sharing was cancelled this year due to COVID-19.
But that hasn’t stopped Rifenburgh from continuing to share the holiday spirit throughout the community.
“Before I was a teacher, I worked as a manager at H-E-B,” Rifenburgh explained. “My first year in Texas, I was able to witness the community come together for the Feast of Sharing. It was an incredible thing to see folks of all walks of life sitting together and eating a meal, having conversation, and being friendly. Revolution Strings performed that night, and I couldn’t believe the group only included high schoolers. I’ve always been passionate about making visual art accessible to all people, not just the ‘gallery crowd,’ and the H-E-B Feast of Sharing has always been a great opportunity to do just that!”
Cards that feature student drawings and holiday sentiments will be delivered to recipients of the Meals on Wheels program after the Thanksgiving break.
