Canstruction Long Island to celebrate 10th annual design competition; Record number of team participating this year

Tracy Lobdell, Greenman-Perdersen, Inc.

Uniondale, NY There is still time to help support the mission of Canstruction Long Island, Inc. as they celebrate their milestone 10^th anniversary of its annual design/build competition to help feed the hungry on Long Island. This year, a record-breaking number of teams from the Architecture, Engineering and Construction industry, as well as local students, have signed up for Canstruction Long Island’s 2016 competition taking place on October 26^th. The reception will be held the next evening on October 27^th.

Teams work together to create beautiful design sculptures made entirely of canned food, which is then donated to local food banks. The beneficiaries of this year’s competition include the Interfaith Nutrition Network (INN), Island Harvest Food Bank, Long Island Cares, Inc./The Harry Chapin Food Bank, and the NEST at NCC, a free-choice food pantry at Nassau Community College.

The teams are required to have a minimum of five participants, and must include a licensed architect, engineer or design professional. They are also responsible for raising the funds needed to purchase the cans used to bring their structure to life. Confirmed professional and student teams for the 2016 competition include:

• H2M Architects + Engineers

• LKB Consulting Engineers

• John W. Baumgarten Architect, PC

• Rosenbaum Design Group

• Spector Group

• Nassau Community College Interior Design Department & Interior Design Society

• JRS Architect, PC & Waldner’s

• Lines & Designs 3D & Long Island reSound

• Temple Sinai of Roslyn Youth Group

• Sacred Heart Academy

• Parent Action Community, Inc.

• Temple Israel of Riverhead Youth Group

• Friends Academy

Among the jurors for this year’s design/build competition include Paul Anthony, comedian and founder, Long Island Comedy Festival and general sales manager, Connoisseur Media Long Island; Jaci Clement, CEO and executive director, Fair Media Council, Martha Siegel, CID, NCIDQ, ASID, IIDA, LEED AP, department chair, interior design department, New York Institute of Technology and Christine Gayron, LS, president of Gayron deBruin Land Surveying and Engineering, PC.

“Over the past 10 years our collective efforts have grown Canstruction Long Island to be the 21^st largest Canstruction event in the world,” said Tracy Lobdell, executive director, Canstruction Long Island, Inc. “This represents over 330,000 pounds of donated food, which is equivalent to more than 213,000 meals for Nassau and Suffolk county residents.”

The structures will be on exhibit at RXR Plaza. The exhibit is open every day, starting Friday, October 28^th and continuing through Sunday, November 13^th, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is free, but attendees are encouraged to bring canned food donations to use to cast their votes for the winner of the People’s Choice Award.

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of the event, please contact [email protected] for more details. Additional information, and photos of the incredible structures from past events, can be found at www.canstructionli.org.

Canstruction Long Island, Inc., a Long Island-based 501 (c)(3), is using ‘one can’ as a catalyst for change, ‘one can’ to represent the building blocks of these massive sculptures, ‘one can’ to prove that every act of kindness makes a difference. Through the generosity of volunteers, celebrity judges, and members of the community, Canstruction® competitions around the world have contributed millions of pounds of food to community food banks demonstrating that we can win the fight against hunger. Since 2007, the participants of Canstruction® Long Island have donated over 330,000 pounds of food to help feed the hungry on Long Island. For more information go to www.canstructionli.org or email [email protected].