Southcentre Mall under 'canstruction': 30,000 cans of food used to for art installations
After a two year hiatus, engineers, designers and students gathered at Southcentre Mall on Thursday to create structures composed of non-perishable food items.
Dubbed "Canstruction," the 16th version of the event saw five teams convert the mall's centre court into expositions made of canned goods, all adhering to the same theme: Welcome To The Jungle.
The City of Calgary, Suncor, Maple Reinders Inc., Calgary Co-op and St. Michael School represented the competing teams. When completed, the art installations will be judged and a winning entry will be named. Judging categories include structural integrity, best use of labels, best original design and people's choice.
After dismantling, the 30,000 cans of food will be donated to the Calgary Food Bank.
The donation will help fill over 8,500 food hampers in one month.
"We see people coming every day that have used up all of their resources," said Shawna Ogston of the Calgary Food Bank.
"Now, with increased expenses – whether heating or fuel costs – their budgets are too stretched. Food is the first thing to come off the budget list, but this event will provide a great deal of help," she said.
Alexandria Matos, an instructor at St. Michael School, says the importance of the food donation was not lost on her group of students.
"We have members of our community that also use the food bank, so they understand they are helping both the greater public and their classmates," said Matos.
"They understand very well how they are helping."
The Canstruction exhibit is open to the public at Southcentre's Centre Court until March 17.
The event has raised over 455,000 pounds of food for needy Calgarians since 2006.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved
Blood biomarkers of telltale signs of early Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of his patient, 55-year-old entrepreneur Simon Nicholls, had all but disappeared in a mere 14 months.
Box tree moths have infested Ontario and experts say more are coming. Here's what to do to protect your garden
An invasive moth species is on the rise in Canada and, if you've planted a certain shrub, it could stand to ruin your garden.
Lyon-bound Air Canada Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from Montreal turns back midflight due to pressurization alert
Passengers heading from Montreal to Lyon, France on Friday were forced to return home and depart the next day after a pressurization indication was detected in flight.
Oilers dominate Canucks, win to force deciding Game 7
The Edmonton Oilers avoided elimination from the NHL playoffs Saturday night, beating the visiting Vancouver Canucks 5-1 in Game 6 of their second-round series.
The eight most expensive homes for sale in Ottawa this spring
Ottawa's ultra luxury housing market is blooming like the tulips this spring, with a significant increase in the number of homes sold worth more than $2 million.
B.C. pipeline company argues its 'haulers' are not trucks, for tax purposes
A contractor working on the Coastal GasLink pipeline has been denied more than $333,000 worth of tax rebates because pieces of machinery it purchased – and claimed were not trucks – were deemed sufficiently truck-like in B.C. Supreme Court.
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
Usyk beats Fury by split decision, becomes undisputed heavyweight champion
Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury by split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight boxing champion in 24 years.
To plant or not to plant? Gardening tips for May long weekend
May long weekend is finally here, and with the extra time off you may be getting the itch to head out to your garden and plant. However, the old debate whether you should plant now, or wait, is still ever-present.