Friday, November 21, 2008

A Follow Up on Canned Goods

by Jen Kulman

This year marks the the 16th anniversary of
Canstruction, a construction competition that aids in the fight against hunger. Teams must assemble their structures in a single night, made entirely from full cans of food. At the end of each competition, all canned food used as building materials is donated to local food banks.


New York City's exhibits will be shown today through December 2, followed by one hundred cities across North America who will hold their own competitions in the coming year. The price of admission for the general public to view these amazing creations? Why, canned goods, of course!

The creativity in these structures knows no bounds. Yet even more amazing is their charitable impact - millions of pounds of food are donated to needy families through the food banks. Aren't these things unbelievable? Check out more photos here, including the national winners.


In related news, a local library is also doing their part to assist with local hunger. The
Fraser Public Library is accepting food donations in lieu of late fees. The Food for Fines project allows patrons to donate one can of food in exchange for having fifty cents waived from their library fines. This is a great way to get the reading community active in solving the hunger crisis.

Isn't it uplifting to read stories of the creative ways in which communities are helping their local food banks?

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