This international food drive created by the Society for Design Administration elevates public awareness of the worldwide hunger crisis by showcasing the creative talent of design and construction industry professionals and the students they mentor via a competitive of a design/build competition in 150 cities around the world.

For the last decade, the San Antonio chapters of The American Institute of Architects and the Society for Design Administration have partnered to produce this creative community event at North Star Mall for the benefit of the San Antonio Food Bank. The competition challenges teams of dedicated architects, engineers, and contractors as well as students from San Antonio College’s AIAS Chapter to build amazing sculptures using canned goods. These supersized masterpieces are juried by a panel recognized community leaders who select the best from the entries. The winners are publicly announced at the Canopener Awards Ceremony attended by 250 industry and community members. Teams compete for awards in categories such as Structural Ingenuity, Best Use of Labels, Best Meal, Juror’s Favorite and Best Use of the Color Orange. Two Honorable Mention Awards are also given.

The Canstruction creations remain on public display at North Star Mall for two weeks. During that time the public is encouraged to cast its vote for the People’s Choice Award. The winner of that coveted prize remains on display at the San Antonio Food Bank for year.

At the conclusion of the event, all canned goods are donated to the San Antonio Food Bank. Canstruction 2015 generated 97,000 pounds of food which equated to 81,308 meals for the hungry. In its first decade, Canstruction® in San Antonio has donated an incredible 472,095 pounds of food for the hungry in the San Antonio Food Bank’s 16-county service area.

Together, we are fighting hunger and feeding hope, one can at a time.