Local teens selling t-shirts featuring pandemic murals to raise money for food bank and Mary’s Place

A couple local high school seniors have designed t-shirts inspired by the COVID-19 murals around Seattle, and are selling them to raise money for local nonprofits.

Ballard resident and Seattle Academy senior Max Torres, along with classmate Elena Zytnicki are behind the charitable t-shirt company, Community Threads. As part of their senior project for school, they’ve designed a few tees that feature some of the various Seattle murals printed on the back.

With permission from the artists, Max and Elena took photos of a few of the murals that have popped up on boarded-up storefronts and bars, and used them in their t-shirt designs.

“We were inspired by the murals in Ballard and other places around the city that were created to bring some beauty during this time of crisis,” Max says. “We created our company around the idea of creating unique wearable designs reflecting the impact of coronavirus and the needs of our community, one shirt at a time.”

All profits from the t-shirt sales are being donated to the Ballard Food Bank and Mary’s Place. To support their project and buy a tee, visit their Community Threads website. And to follow along, check out their Instagram page.