6th Annual Event Begins on Saturday, March 31 Using Thousands of Cans to Fill Emergency Food Boxes at St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance
Competing teams of architectural, engineering and construction firms will both showcase their talents and feed the hungry when the CANstruction® 2012 competition and judging takes place March 31 through April 7 at its new home, the Phoenix Convention Center’s West Building (1003 N. 3rd Street).
Now in its sixth year, the CANstruction competition will again benefit St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance and will be hosted by The Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS), Arizona chapter, under the auspices of the Society for Design Administration (SDA). The event has become one of the largest single-event donations for the Food Bank, with more than 56,000 cans used to construct incredibly imaginative designs last year, with all the non-perishable items used earmarked to help fill the more than 300,000 Emergency Food Boxes St. Mary’s distributes into the community annually.
The teams, which will include high school and college-aged design students working alongside some of the professional firms have 12 hours to build their structures on the morning of Saturday, March 31 at the convention center. The completed structures will be on display for the public to see beginning March 31 and continuing through Friday April 6. During the exhibition, the public may cast their vote for the AIA Phoenix Metro People’s Choice Award and donate canned food to food drive boxes positioned around the exhibits.
Other awards will be given for Best Use of Labels, Best Meal, Structural Ingenuity and Jurors’ Favorite by a panel of judges. Winning teams will be publicly honored at an Awards & Networking Mixer on Tuesday, April 3. Winners from local competitions around the nation will compete in the national Canstruction competition through a slideshow photography submission.
“CANstruction is a unique way to raise awareness and non-perishable items for the Food Bank,” said Terry Shannon, the St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance President and CEO. “We are excited to be involved in the event for the sixth year and, as always, are very curious to see what kind of incredible structures will be created by these innovative minds.”
####
***MEDIA IS INVITED TO FILM THE CANSTRUCTION BUILDING PROCESS ON SATURDAY, MARCH 31 (BEGINNING AT APPROXIMATELY 9 a.m.) OR VIEW THE COMPLETED STRUCTURES AND SPEAK WITH THE DESIGNERS ON MONDAY MORNING, APRIL 2. PLEASE COORDINATE WITH JERRY BROWN FROM ST. MARY’S FOOD BANK ALLIANCE AT (602) 684-0939 TO DISCUSS INTERVIEW TIMES AND AVAILABILITY.*****
####
ABOUT ST. MARY’S FOOD BANK ALLIANCE: Now in its 45th year of operation, the world’s first food bank is a non-sectarian, nonprofit organization that alleviates hunger by efficiently gathering and distributing food to 500 agencies that serve the hungry. Serving two-thirds of Arizona’s 15 counties, the organization is a member of Feeding America, the national network of food banks, and is committed to volunteerism, building community relationships, and improving the quality of life for Arizonans in need. Last year, the Food Bank distributed more than 74 million pounds of food to families and individuals, provided enough food for 275,000 meals every day, and garnered more than 310,000 volunteer service hours. Web site: www.FirstFoodBank.org Phone: 602-242-FOOD.
