Delaware organizations encouraged to build structures out of cans to help alleviate hunger

February 12, 2018

The Food Bank of Delaware announced today that registration for the sixth annual CANgineering competition is now open. Organizations have until March 2 to register for the food drive and structure-building contest.

CANgineering supports the year-round hunger relief efforts of the Food Bank of Delaware. With more than 114,000 Delawareans relying on the services of the Food Bank’s network of partners each year, community support is critical.

“JPMorgan Chase employees take great pride in helping the local community and being involved with the Food Bank of DE. Everyone truly enjoyed participating in last year’s CANgineering drive,” said Julianne Snyder, who helped coordinate JPMorgan Chase’s effort, which raised 5,514 pounds of food. “Each of our five sites created an entry – making it a fun competition and allowing us to walk away knowing that we provided in a small way, a helping hand to many Delawareans in need.”

After the holiday season, donations are down during the spring and summer months. The competition is a creative way to collect much needed food and create a spirited competition in Delaware’s business and education communities. Last year, companies made a variety of structures including Mr. Celery from the Wilmington Blue Rocks, an American flag, barn scene, Etch-a-sketch and more.

“Barclays colleagues have proudly participated in this creative food collection event since its inception,” said Jocelyn Stewart, Director of Community Investment at Barclays. “Last year, colleagues built a giant Etch-a-sketch out of boxes of pasta and cans of tomato sauce that stood 10 feet tall in our lobby with a message encouraging colleagues to “pay it forward.” This is a fun way to engage colleagues while helping the Food Bank of Delaware meet their goal of providing nutritious food to those in need.”

During the next two months, registered organizations and schools will have the opportunity to hold food drives and compete to create structures out of the food items collected. Before collecting, teams should decide on their structure and coordinate the types of food items to be collected.

“Every year the structures get better and better,” said Food Bank of Delaware President and CEO Patricia Beebe. “Last year’s competitors really set the bar high, so we look forward to seeing this year’s structures! This competition is a fun way to engage the community, but most importantly, it’s a way for us to bring in food for Delawareans struggling to put meals on the table.”

Judging will take place on Monday, April 23 and Tuesday, April 24 and winners will be announced on Friday, April 28. For complete competition guidelines or to register, visit www.fbd.org/cangineering. Questions regarding the competition may be directed to Food Bank of Delaware Donor Relations Manager Caitlin Custer at (302) 292-1305 ext 253 or ccuster@fbd.org.