Event Information
Calling all students! Youth Volunteer Corps of Hampton Roads is recruiting teams from grades K-12 to participate in our annual Canstructure Competition, a STEM-inspired, team-based challenge that provides thousands of meals to local families experiencing food insecurity. Each year, this event activates youth from across our community to help address the issue of hunger while also providing an outlet for creativity and friendly competition.
What is a CANstructure? A canstructure is a unique work of art that is created by collecting hundreds of canned food items, which are then used to design and build a 3-dimensional structure that relates to this year’s theme: End Hunger: Game On!
How do teams compete? Teams meet after school or during a flex period over several weeks (with a team sponsor) to plan and brainstorm their canstructure design and to determine their strategy for collecting canned food donations. Teams may conduct food drives, solicit donations from local businesses or raise funds to purchase the cans needed to build their structure. Once the team has acquired their “building materials,” they will sort, wrap and carefully stack the cans to create their canstructure at either their school (grades K-5) or at Patrick Henry Mall (grades 6-12).