Local Schools Compete To ‘Can-struct’ & Fundraise
Community Harvest Food Bank’s (CHFB) canstruction 2026 is over! And seven local schools raised an impressive 22,224 cans weighing 23,211 pounds of food for local communities! Over 100 students, teachers, parents, and staff worked together to fundraise, purchase, plan, and build the impressive structures at Glenbrook Square Mall. Kekionga and Woodside Middle Schools were first time participants, while Central Noble celebrated their 25th year!
“I was truly impressed by the creativity and teamwork at Canstruction 2026,” said Traci Fritz, CHFB Event Planner & Fundraiser. “The students were focused and intentional in their builds, yet you could see how much fun they were having throughout the process. While this event makes a meaningful impact on the community, it also inspires students to be creative, apply their skills, build new ones, and get involved in the community. Their work was genuinely inspiring.”
After a weeklong stay at Glenbrook, judges landed on winners for the following categories:
- Best Structural Ingenuity: North Side High School
- Best Meal: Woodside Middle School
- Best Use of Labels: Concordia Lutheran High School
- Best Original Design: Central Noble Jr/ Sr High School
- And after hundreds of online votes, the People’s Choice Award winner is Central Noble Jr/ Sr High School!
- 1st place: Central Noble: $738 raised.
- 2nd Place: North Side: $222 raised.
- 3rd Place: Kekionga: $107 raised.
The students’ dedication and drive to make these structures happen is a testament to their commitment to learning and helping – all at the same time!
“Twenty-five years ago, I took over the Canstruction team at Central Noble because, as an art teacher, I was drawn to the creativity behind the builds,” said Abbey Mault, Art Teacher at Central Noble Jr/ Sr High School. “What I quickly discovered was that Canstruction is about so much more than canned goods. It gives students real-world opportunities to collaborate, problem solve, and communicate professionally while combining engineering, science, art, and math in a meaningful way. Most importantly, it teaches students compassion, leadership, and the importance of serving others. Watching students grow through teamwork and give back to the community year after year is why I continue to sponsor Canstruction. It truly helps build students into successful members of society.”
The judges were industry leaders in engineering, design, and IT, and have expressed interest in furthering their involvement to increase student benefits from Canstruction.
This event is one of CHFB’s largest annual food fundraisers. The dedication of all involved is appreciated beyond measure.
“Canstruction provides food at a critical time of the year and provides a tremendous boost to some of our outer counties, all while students are learning, and furthering their journey to being great citizens of their communities,” said Carmen Cumberland, President & CEO at Community Harvest Food Bank. “We are so grateful for the student participation and want to give special thank you to the adult leadership, our sponsors, our judges, and Glenbrook Square Mall for everyone’s continued support in making our communities nourished and hopeful again.
To our sponsors, Brotherhood Mutual, ProFed Credit Union, Trelleborg, and Engineering Resources, we thank you. To our additional fundraising partners this year, Northrop High School and Towles Intermediate School, we thank you!”
Community Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Indiana, Inc. feeds thousands of people every week. Last year, CHFB distributed 12+ million pounds of food to over 99,000 unique individuals. Angie Grant serves as Board Chair and Carmen Cumberland serves as President and CEO. Community Harvest is one of 200 Feeding America member food banks in the United States, and one of 11 regional members of Feeding Indiana’s Hungry. Community Harvest feeds hungry people in the nine counties of northeast Indiana. For more information, visit www.chfb.org.
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