Fort Wayne Teens Stack Thousands of Cans into Fairytale Sculptures to Fight Hunger

It’s not just food — it’s art with a purpose. The halls of Glenbrook Square Mall in Fort Wayne have turned into a storybook wonderland made entirely out of canned goods, thanks to Community Harvest Food Bank’s annual Canstruction competition.

For one week only, whimsical structures built from thousands of food cans are drawing crowds — and donations — as students from six area schools compete for the coveted People’s Choice Award and raise money to combat food insecurity in northeast Indiana.

From “Storytime” to Showtime: A Themed Display for a Serious Cause

This year’s theme? “Storytime.” And the creativity on display is something to behold.

Friday, April 25 was Build Day — the big kickoff. Students from Central Noble, Concordia Lutheran, Leo, Northrop, North Side, and South Adams rolled in early, carting in boxes upon boxes of non-perishables. By sundown, mall-goers wandered past canned castles, storybook characters, and reimagined tales — all sculpted with precision and plenty of teamwork.

Some builds stood over six feet tall. Others stretched wide, forming arches and towers. One group recreated scenes from “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.” Another sculpted a massive open book from cans of beans and tuna.

This is art you can eat — literally. Every single can will be donated once the competition wraps.

How the Voting Works and Why It Matters

The rules are simple: one dollar equals one vote.

Visitors strolling through Glenbrook can scan a QR code near each structure and donate to vote. Prefer to vote from your couch? You can also donate via Community Harvest Food Bank’s website or Facebook page.

• The school with the most votes wins the People’s Choice Award — and a $1,000 prize.
• All proceeds support Community Harvest Food Bank’s mission to reduce hunger across the region.

Voting stays open through Sunday, May 4, when the final tallies come in and the winners are announced.

What the Judges Are Looking For

Beyond the public vote, a panel of judges will hand out awards for:

Best Meal (based on nutritional value of the cans used)
Best Use of Labels
Most Cans Used
Structural Integrity
Best Original Design

These aren’t just bragging rights. They’re validation for hours of planning, sketching, and hauling cases of soup and beans.

One teacher from Concordia Lutheran High School said her team had been working on blueprints since January. “It’s fun, but it’s a full-on engineering project too,” she laughed.

Here’s Who’s Competing This Year

Take a quick look at the six schools that rolled up their sleeves for Canstruction 2025:

School Name	City	Type
Central Noble Jr./Sr. High	Albion	Public
Concordia Lutheran High School	Fort Wayne	Private, Religious
Leo Jr./Sr. High School	Leo-Cedarville	Public
Northrop High School	Fort Wayne	Public
North Side High School	Fort Wayne	Public
South Adams Middle School	Berne	Public, Middle School Level

All teams were capped at 10 students per school. But support crews — teachers, parents, even janitors — helped with logistics, transportation, and moral support.

More Than Just a Competition — It’s a Community Effort

It’s not really about the trophies.

That’s what every student says, anyway. “Honestly, I just love that people are going to get this food,” said one sophomore from Leo Jr./Sr. High, eyes wide as she stood next to a towering canned wizard.

Last year, the Canstruction event brought in enough donations to supply over 30,000 meals. Organizers hope to top that this year.

Community Harvest Food Bank CEO Carmen Canterbury was nearly in tears as she described the impact: “To see teenagers leading something this meaningful? It restores a little faith, you know?”

The mall, too, benefits. Glenbrook Square’s marketing team says foot traffic spikes during Canstruction week, as families and visitors come to see the creative builds.

And for the students? It’s one part competition, one part social awareness, one part architecture lab — all rolled into one week of canned chaos.