Every year, an incredible volunteer committee hosts the unique hunger-fighting food drive and community event called Canstruction. This international hunger-relief charity, with local chapters including Canstruction Orlando, recruits local teams to design and build impressive structures from canned and non-perishable food items. The collective effort of these teams, along with the support of the local community, results in the annual donation of millions of pounds of food for food banks like Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida.
This year’s theme, “Cantastic Tales: Stories that Feed Hope,” invites teams to build a sculpture that invites viewers into a world of folktales, fables, and fairy tales—where kindness defeats hunger and every story fuels a well-fed future for our neighbors in need.
Participating teams included Disney Facility Asset Management, Darden Restaurants, L2 Studios, Whiting Turner & Cuningham, Finfrock, Forum Architecture & Interior Design and Gresham Smith. Each team put its engineering skills to the test, creating inspiring structures that reflected vibrant scenes from famous stories, such as the Sword and the Stone, a Wonka bar with a golden ticket, ‘Can’derella’s carriage, En-CAN-to, and Jack and the Beanstalk.
Special thanks to Dezerland Park for providing the space to showcase these remarkable structures from Oct. 11-19. This event entertained guests and served as a powerful advocacy platform, highlighting innovative ways to combat hunger in our community.
When I asked the committee why they participated, their answer was clear: “Because one in six kids in our community is at risk of going to bed hungry tonight.” Thanks to this year’s event, over 25,687 pounds of food were donated to Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida —enough to provide over 21,405 meals for children, families, and seniors facing food insecurity.
A heartfelt thank you to our participants and everyone who came out to support Canstruction Orlando! Together, we are making a significant impact in the fight against hunger.
