Student Teams Kick Off Bergen County 'Can-Struction' At American Dream

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ – Teams of students in Bergen County will compete through Thursday to build the best "can-struction" at the mall in an effort to fight hunger.

Canstruction is an international charity competition where teams compete to build giant structures from full cans of food, which are donated to local food banks and pantries at the end of the competition.

The Bergen County Office of Food Security has partnered with American Dream in East Rutherford for Bergen County Canstruction 2024.

Bergen County Canstruction will feature four student-led teams representing Bergen Community College, Ramapo College of New Jersey, the Bergen County Technical School District, and Henry P. Becton Regional High School.

Henry Becton Regional High School serves Carlstadt, East Rutherford, and Maywood.

Each team worked for weeks and months to develop "unique and creative designs for their structures," said the county executive's office.

After these designs were approved, each team was paired with a sponsor to help procure the cans needed for their build.

After the four teams build their structures overnight, Canstruction will be open as an “art-walk” experience at American Dream, on display through Thursday, Mary 7. Visitors will be able to see the structures firsthand, learning about the theme of each build and also about the issue of food insecurity in Bergen County.

The competition will conclude with a judging panel and award ceremony on Thursday, March 7, where a winner for best design and online vote will be crowned.

The county thanked sponsors including Alaimo Engineering Group, Glass Gardens Inc., GOYA Foods, Inserra Supermarkets, and Bergen County Commissioner Tracy Zur.

“This competition is a remarkable and inspiring opportunity for our students and our local food pantries,” said Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco. “These structures will be viewed by the tens of thousands of people who visit American Dream, providing our students a unique platform to express themselves all while utilizing creativity, compassion, and community to raise awareness of food insecurity.”

“We are thrilled to host Bergen County Canstruction this year and provide high school and college students a platform to showcase their creativity and innovation,” said Byran Gaus, Senior VP and General Manager of American Dream. “Our guests are going to truly appreciate the artwork and the fact that it is for such a worthy cause of fighting hunger and supporting local food pantries.”

“Bergen County Canstruction combines science, engineering and art to become a dynamic force for change,” said Commissioner Tracy Zur. “It is crucial for us to shine a light on the need for food security in our communities. At the end of this competition, our students’ art will be used to actively combat hunger, creating a lasting impact that extends far beyond the exhibit and hopefully resonates with the thousands of people that will get to see this amazing art live in the American Dream over the next week.”

Find out more about American Dream here.