CANstruction competitions bring in over 5,000 cans of food

The CANstruction event was last held in the Eastern Iowa corridor over a decade ago.

Brianna Brands, News Reporter

November 20, 2024

Corridor CANstruction sculptures at the Coral Ridge Mall in Coralville on Monday, Nov. 11. The public and a panel of local judges are set to vote for the best sculptures. All cans will be donated to the CommUnity Food Bank to help those in need.

As shoppers perused through the Coral Ridge Mall last week, they encountered abnormal artwork all throughout: sculptures made of cans.

CommUnity Crisis Services and Food Bank hosted the first CANstruction event in the corridor in over a decade from Nov. 9 to 15. CANstruction is an international nonprofit organization with chapters worldwide.

Every year, chapters host citywide competitions where teams construct their best sculptures out of cans. CommUnity Director of Development Julia Winter said the competition brought in more than 5,500 cans of food — enough to feed around 200 families.

“Canstruction not only highlights the incredible talent of our local architects but also raises awareness about the issue of food insecurity,” CommUnity Communications Manager Emma Huntzinger wrote in an email to The Daily Iowan.

Natoshia Askelson, an associate professor of community behavioral health in the University of Iowa College of Public Health, has specifically researched food security in the state of Iowa.

Askelson previously told the DI the state has a food insecurity rate of just over 10 percent, meaning one in ten Iowans face hunger.

All cans of food purchased by the participating teams were donated to the food pantry following the competition. All “People’s Choice” votes also came with a $1 donation, which Winter said helped bring in a little over $200, along with $5,000 in sponsorships. The $5,200 will help the food bank purchase about 5,200 pounds of food, which will last them a week by weight.

Huntzinger wrote the competition was a fun way to promote food awareness.

“We are excited to share this fusion of art, engineering, and philanthropy with our community,” she wrote.

The four participating teams signed up through the South East Iowa Architects Section. On display was “Arcitaco” by BBS Architects Engineers, “CAN you SLITER into Action?” by The S/L/A/M Collaborative, “PumpCAN Pie” by OPN Architects, and “The CANlin Clark Effect” by Andino Construction.

Each team only had one day to construct their masterpieces on Nov. 9, with “People’s Choice” voting taking place throughout the week. BBS Architects Engineers were named the champions of the “People’s Choice” vote.

Ruthina Malone, Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition Board president, was a judge for the competition, designating awards such as “Best Meal” and “Most Cans” to “Arcitaco,” “Structural Integrity” to “PumpCAN Pie,” “Best Use of Labels” to “CANlin Clark Effect,” and “Best Original Design” to “CAN you SLITHER into Action?”

“An event like CANstruction is a great way to support our community food pantry but also a great way to see some outstanding creativity,” Malone wrote. “Having thousands of cans of food available to families in our community will go a long way.”

Winter said the competition was a success overall, and they were especially happy about the exposure, which was so close to the holiday season.

“Johnson County has one of the highest rates of food insecurity in Iowa, and as we go into the holiday season, folks are trying to budget really carefully in order to share their gifts with family and friends,” she said. “We want to make sure that their basic needs are still covered and they have somewhere to turn.”