Canstruction going virtual as limited cans of food available

Canstruction will be going on without its structures built of cans, according to the United Way of Bartholomew County.

The 13th annual event previously featured build teams creating elaborate structures out of canned food in Fair Oaks Mall, eventually donating the cans to local food pantries. You could vote for your favorites by further donating cans of food which also went to the food pantries.

Over the years, the event has provided more than 300,000 cans of food to Love Chapel, Community Center of Hope and Salvation Army food pantries.

However supply chain problems are making it impossible for the signed-up build teams to acquire the many cans they need for the competition. The same problem is also affecting local food pantries, which are already struggling with increased need across the community. Holiday donations that typically carry the pantries through March are already gone, with Love Chapel alone serving 40 to 45 families daily.

So, instead the Canstruction teams will donate any cans they have already collected and move their fundraising efforts online. You can donate to your favorite team by going to the uwbarthco.org website and clicking on Canstruction 2022. You can also make a donation directly to the event on the website, or mail your donation:

United Way of Bartholomew County
Mark “CANstruction” in the memo line.
1531 13th St.
Suite 1100,
Columbus, IN 47201