O'Hara fourth grader sells art to raise money for hungry children

A fourth-grade O’Hara Elementary student is using his passion for art to create tangible change at his school and beyond.

Tucker Patsey, 10, is selling hand-painted canvases to raise money for Backpack for Hunger, a program that provides weekend food to Fox Chapel Area School District students in need.

“When I’m hungry, I’m not able to be my best self,” Tucker said. “I want all the children to be able to be their best.”

The effort has raised $495 so far.

Backpack for Hunger provides free care bags discreetly through school guidance counselors. There are more than 800 district students who qualify for a free or reduced-price lunch.

The program operates year-round and places food bags for pick-up at municipal buildings in Blawnox, Indiana Township and Sharpsburg, and at the Sharpsburg Community Library and Second Harvest Thrift Store.

Since March of 2020, the group has doled out nearly 20,000 bags of food, Director Lisa Bowden said.

Calling Tucker talented and philanthropic, Bowden said “it is wonderful to hear about children helping other children.”

Tucker’s mom, Laurel Yasko, said her son began painting wooden flags at just age 4.

“One summer he sold them and made donations,” Yasko said.

Throughout the pandemic, the family has spent a lot of time indoors, much of it building puzzles or having Zoom-based painting sessions with

Tucker’s grandmother, Joyce Yasko, 80, a retired chief operations officer from Roswell Park Cancer Center in Buffalo, N.Y.

“When we were in lockdown during the pandemic, we used art as one way to connect as a family. We would have Zoom painting parties and each paint a similar idea and compare finished pieces,” Laurel Yasko said.

“Tucker asked for us to buy him canvases and paint pens, and we frequently found him sitting at the kitchen table creating art,” Yasko said.

A friend noticed the canvases in the kitchen window, and the Backpack for Hunger fundraiser was born.

“She commented on how talented Tucker is and that he should consider selling his art,” Yasko said. “I asked Tucker if he was interested, and we talked about what to do with any money that he made. He decided that he wanted to donate any money received to charity.”

The young artist sells his 5-by-7 inch canvases on Instagram at art2combathunger for $10 each.

His bright drawings span a variety of subjects from palm trees to tennis shoes to donuts to monsters.

Yasko said she’s proud, “not just for his creativity and talent but, more importantly, for recognizing that he can use his abilities to help others.”

Tucker also enjoys wood carving and hand-crafting jewelry. He plays baseball for the Pittsburgh Spikes and the Fox Chapel All Star team and plays basketball with the Fox Chapel fourth-grade travel team.

Not surprisingly, two of his favorite subjects at school are gym and art. He also likes math, Tucker said.

To learn more about Backpack for Hunger, visit backpackforhunger.org.