PRESS RELEASE: CANstruction returns for its 27th year, proceeds benefiting Oregon Food Bank

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 19, 2023

Contact: Morgan D. Dewey, pressy@oregonfoodbank.org, 801-712-7969

Building an End to Hunger, One CAN at a Time

Local creativity unites in a nationwide anti-hunger event: CANstruction

Portland, OR — In a remarkable convergence of architectural and engineering brilliance, local firms teamed up to tackle hunger through the renowned CANstruction event. Kicking off the transformation of over 18,000 cans of food into whimsical, wildly inventive sculptures on September 18, this exhibition and competition unfolds at Pioneer Place Mall in downtown Portland from September 18 to September 24.

"CANstruction isn't just an art show or design competition; it's an imaginative response to hunger where architects, contractors, and engineers create larger-than-life pop art masterpieces entirely from unopened cans of food,” says Chris Mount, CANstruction Committee Director. “This event bridges creativity and conscience, showcasing how businesses can impact their community beyond their core operations.”

Part of an international movement, Portland joins over 150 cities globally in this competition, which, since its inception in 1992, has contributed more than 20 million pounds of food to local hunger relief efforts. The Portland mission? Gather enough cans to provide the equivalent of 270,000 meals, the equivalent of one month of food for those seeking assistance from the Oregon Food Bank Network.

“These cans are a placeholder that represent the fresh, locally-grown and culturally relevant food that Oregon Food Bank prioritizes for our communities,” shares Oregon Food Bank’s Marissa Gray. “Just like Oregon Food Bank is so much more than canned goods, so is this event — which fuses creativity with compassion, demonstrating that all of us can use our talents to help end hunger and its root causes."

While the exhibition is open to all, visitors are encouraged to ”vote” for their preferred sculpture by donating to team pages, a contribution that goes directly to Oregon Food Bank. After voting, sculptures will be celebrated, recognizing achievements such as Best Original Design, People’s Choice, Best Meal, Structural Ingenuity, Best Use of Labels and Most Cans.

The last onsite Canstruction event in 2019 garnered over $3,000 in contributions and almost 33,000 pounds of food. Since 1997, the Portland initiative has channeled approximately 661,000 pounds of food and $240,000 to combat hunger in Oregon and Southwest Washington. If you are interested in partnering with Oregon Food Bank to end hunger, visit the Oregon Food Bank website.

Participating teams this year include: CONSOR Engineers, DCI Engineers, HDR Engineering Inc, KPFF, LRS Architects, NW Natural, P&C Construction, Soderstrom Architects, Timberlab, Walsh Construction and ZGF Architects.

For media inquiries contact Morgan D. Dewey at press@oregonfoodbank.org or 801-712-7969.

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The CANstruction PDX — Oregon Food Bank partnership underscores the fusion of creativity and communal responsibility in the fight against hunger.

ABOUT OREGON FOOD BANK

At Oregon Food Bank, we believe that food and health are basic human rights for all. We know that hunger is not just an individual experience; it is also a community-wide symptom of barriers to employment, education, housing, and healthcare.That’s why we work systematically in our mission to end hunger in Oregon: we build community connections to help people access nutritious, affordable food today, and we build community power to eliminate the root causes of hunger for good. Join us online OregonFoodBank.org and @oregonfoodbank on social media.

ABOUT CANStructionPDX

To feed and inspire the world – one can at a time.

Canstruction® is a unique international charity which hosts exhibitions and competitions of giant whimsical and wildly inventive sculptures made entirely out of full cans of food. After they are built, the teams of architects, engineers, and contractors display their structures to the public to compete for winning titles. Recognized for our commitment to hunger relief and helping communities strengthen local food systems, the Portland event has raised more than one million meals to help fight hunger in Oregon and Clark County, Washington.

Learn more at www.canstructionpdx.org