Annette McGuire and her husband Sam wanted to do something to help Pueblo’s homeless living at the temporary warming shelter.

So, they made screen-painted shirts featuring a storm sewer cover with a fish on it with the words “No dumping — drains into river.”

The cover was near the McGuire’s Northside neighborhood, though it took a while to find the perfect one.

“We went scoping the neighborhood with a bucket of water and a broom cleaning up the sewer covers,” McGuire, a painter and water color boutique artist, said. “People were stopping and look at us like, ‘what are you doing.’”

McGuire sells the shirts at Steel City Art Works, located at 216 S. Union Ave. There, her artwork is on display and on sale along with the newly made duds.

The shirts are on sale for $24.95, $2.50 of which goes directly to supporting the efforts of the homeless shelter located at 901 W. Ninth St.

Each month, the McGuires use the money to buy something for the shelter. The project began in January and the first two months' proceeds were used to buy disinfectant wipes.

“We called Kathy Cline (executive director of Pueblo Rescue Mission) down there and asked what they needed,” McGuire said. “She gave me a list and we bought three boxes of wipes because they don’t have showers.”

McGuire has lived in Pueblo for the past four years after moving from Colorado Springs. She was born in Nebraska and has moved around to a variety of places while her husband works with the railroad.

In other cities, she saw similar shirts used to raise money for a good cause.

Though she’d had the idea for a bit, her husband gave the nudge she needed to get the project off the ground.

“My husband just kind of pushed me to do it,” McGuire said. “He made my cart (which displays the shirts in the gallery).”

The artist hopes to continue to produce the shirts, as well as sell them at others places.

By doing so, she hopes more Puebloans will feel inspired by to help out — even if it’s something small.

“I kind of wanted to do this to also encourage other people to do something small to make a different,” she said. “The people in Pueblo are so good. So, hopefully, those good people will want to do something to help.”

The shirts are available at Steel City Art Works. The gallery’s hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday.

For more information, visit Steel City Art Works’ Facebook page.

llyons@chieftain.com, @luke_lyons14