Local building professionals and designers to compete in 8th Annual Canstruction®

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Jacksonville Main Library will help place a visual spotlight on the issue of hunger and food insecurity March 2-12 when it plays host to the 8th Annual Jacksonville Canstruction® competition benefiting the Second Harvest Food Bank of North Florida.
 
The event pits the area's best and brightest professionals from the design, construction and engineering communities together to serve as a catalyst for change and help make a difference in the lives of those who are less fortunate. Teams design and build one-of-a-kind structures from nonperishable food items, mainly canned goods. The general public then votes for their favorite structure. At the conclusion of the competition, all of the food items are donated to the Second Harvest Food Bank.
 
Canstruction is a foundation of the Society for Design Administration (SDA). Similar competitions will be held in cities throughout North America. In addition to the Jacksonville Main Library, other sponsors of this year's event include the Jacksonville Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, the Jacksonville Public Library and NGI.
 
"Canstruction" of the colorful, supersized masterpieces will begin on Monday, March 2 at 9 a.m. and conclude later that afternoon. The structures will then be on display through March 12, with voting taking place from March 2-5. A Gala Awards Reception will take place on Thursday, March 5, at 5:30 p.m. at the library. The team with the highest number of votes will receive the People's Choice Award. The creations are also judged by local jurors in a variety of other categories - including Structural Integrity, Best Use of Labels, Jurors' Favorite and Best Meal.
 
This year's judges are Robert Arleigh White, executive director of the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville, Christopher Noel, president of AIA Jacksonville and senior vice president at TTV Architects, and Larry Wilson, senior principal at Rink Design.
 
The six teams competing in the 8th Annual Canstruction are: Bergmann Associates, Connelly & Wicker Inc., Haskell, HDR Engineering, Inc., RS&H/AB Consulting and Skanska/Ghyabi & Associates.
 
The 2008 Canstruction event generated nearly 17,000 pounds of food for the Food Bank - which equates to more than 11,300 meals for needy families. The Second Harvest Food Bank redistributes donated food to more than 500 nonprofit organizations helping thousands of people in need in 18 north Florida counties. Nearly two-third of those organizations serve in Duval County. In its eight years, Canstruction has resulted in more than 89,000 pounds of food donated to those in need in our area.

CANSTRUCTION® MEDIA OPPORTUNITY

CANSTRUCTION BUILDOUT: The buildout - or Canstruction - is where the six teams competing in this year's event will spend much of the day assembling their mammoth structures from nonperishable food items.

WHEN: Monday, March 2 - Beginning at 9 a.m. (Library hours are Mon - Thu: 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.; Fri & Sat: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Sun: 1 p.m. - 6 p.m.)

WHERE: Jacksonville Public Library, Main Branch, 303 N Laura Street

OTHER KEY DATES:
March 2-12 - Canstruction Display
March 2-5 - Public Voting
March 4 - Structures on display and voting available as part of the First Wednesday Art Walk
March 5 - Gala Awards Reception at Jacksonville Public Library Main Branch
March 13 - Canstruction teardown and donation of food products to Second Harvest Food Bank 
 
About Second Harvest Food Bank of North Florida
Second Harvest Food Bank of North Florida is the oldest and largest program of Lutheran Social Services of Northeast Florida. LSS was founded in 1979 by area Lutherans and business leaders to fill gaps in services offered in the community for people in need. The Food Bank gathers food from local and national sources, shares these resources with 515 nonprofit organizations in 18 north Florida counties and helps thousands of people each year who are hungry or at risk of not having being able to provide food for themselves and their families. In addition to collecting and distributing food, the Food Bank serves children in after-school programs through its Kids Cafe and in summer camps through its Summer Lunch program. It also takes Mobile Pantries filled with Family Boxes of food to people living in neighborhoods with the greatest needs. Call 904.730.8234 for more information about any of these programs and services.