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Canstruction can-stacking contest returns to Hillside

Event brings tonnes of food to Mustard Seed food bank
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Christopher Mavrikos, founder and executive director of The Dahlia Society, joins Hillside Centre marketing director Michelle Paget with a collection of food cans during this year’s Canstruction Victoria food collection and sculpture event at the mall. The fourth annual charity event brought in more than $123,000 in cash and non-perishable food for the Mustard Seed Street Church food bank. Courtesy The Dahlia Society

For the next 11 days a dozen teams will compete in Hillside Centre to see who can create the best sculpture from food cans.

The shopping mall is hosting the fifth annual Canstruction event from May 4 to 14.

Teams made up of local professionals will compete against themselves and internationally as the event runs in 165 cities.

The canned goods used in the sculptures go toward The Mustard Seed food bank’s security initiative.

“We’re hoping for a very successful event and larger turnout from our local community than years past” said Christopher Mavrikos, founder and executive director of the Dahlia Society.

“Supporting our community through the Mustard Seed is a cause that this city supports and we’re hoping to use that to carry on our momentum from the past four years to raise even bigger numbers of cans and funds this year.”

Mavrikos says Victoria has rallied around the event in the past with more than 134,000 cans of food, contributing to an approximate total of $387,140 worth of product and funds donated to the Mustard Seed food bank.

“This event provides one of the largest canned food donations that we see every year,” said Janiene Boice, director of development for the Mustard Seed.

Visitors can vote on the sculptures at Hillside Centre by donating three non-perishable food items or cash.

Family Can Day is Saturday, May 12 at Hillside from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a scavenger hunt, local mascots and face painting. Between noon and 1 p.m. the public can join friends and neighbours in the creation of a 13th canned food sculpture.

Twelve teams are involved in the 2018 event, with three from Fairway Market, one from Sysco Victoria, St. Michaels University School, Christine Lintott Architecture, SeaFirst Insurance, Knappet Projects, Low Hammond Rowe Architects, Kinetic Construction, Farmer Construction and Canadian Tire.

reporter@saanichnews.com