CWM helps feed the hungry with CAN-creation

Depew, NY Local architecture firm Carmina Wood Morris, DPC (CWM) has been contributing since 2006 to the annual Food 2 Families food drive in Western New York by designing the “CANstruction” display at the Tops Market. Made possible by the donation from Tops, the cans and other non-perishable food items used in the display are then donated to the Food Bank of WNY. A young architectural designer of the firm, Shari Servillon, was the brain behind the creation this year, designing a picturesque gingerbread town titled “It Takes A Village,” meant to recreate the nostalgia of decorating for the holidays. Driven by the volunteer efforts of mostly female employees, this year’s display was adorned with large-scale gingerbread men, complete with scarves and shovels. The ladies of the firm overcame the struggle of last year, where the design proved to be too tall of a structure and took a tumble on the second day of construction, and managed to break two records this year: using the highest amount of cans ever (a total of 8,428) and completing the structure two days ahead of schedule. When asked about the design process, Shari commented that “This project takes six weeks of planning. I originally prepared two different design ideas and as a team we picked the winner, then we create a scheme for each can with the dimensions and basic shape and colors. Each item is then made into a 3D model which helps brings to life the display you see at Tops annually.”