NORWAY — At the start of the Christmas season, the artists at Gallery 448 on Main Street decided to make unique Christmas tree ornaments and offer them for sale with 100 percent of the proceeds going to two area programs that deal with hunger and food insecurity in the Oxford Hills community.

As soon as word was out the project became much bigger, more fun and more prosperous than expected. Within a couple of days they sold the 20 ornaments they had pre-made. The artists then went to work and made more, a lot more.

By the time Christmas arrived they had created and sold more than 60 one-of-a-kind ornaments and raised over $1,400 to be split evenly between the Alan Day Community Garden and the Emergency Food program administered by the Oxford Hills Area Clergy Association.

Both groups were presented with a check for $700.

“People really picked up on the spirit of the project,” said Judy Mayberry, one of the artists.

“We were pleased with the way things turned out and the support and enthusiasm we got,” said Don Best, another of the artists.

The mission of the Alan Day Community Garden is “to cooperatively create an educational demonstration garden, where people can grow their own food, using organic, sustainable methods to support an enduring community food system,” said Katey Branch of the garden.

“The clergy fund is used for immediate needs in the community around the issue of hunger, heat and housing,” said Don Mayberry, treasurer of the group.

The artists at Gallery 448 include Don Best,who is a wood sculptor, Irina Kahn, a fine artist, and Judy Mayberry, mosaic artist.