Build Against Hunger Provides Over 14,000 Pounds of Food for Hungry

Oct. 3, 2012 - PRLog -- Raleigh, N.C. – Members from the Triangles Sales and Marketing Council (TSMC), part of the Home Builders Association of Raleigh-Wake County and Durham, Orange & Chatham Counties donated 14,065 pounds of food, or 11,844 meals, to the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina through Canstruction® Raleigh this September.

The event called, Build Against Hunger sponsored by Stock Building Supply, showcased structures made entirely out of canned food by the three builder teams of KB Home, Lennar, and M/I Homes.

“It was just amazing as it was thought provoking to everyone who saw the can structures,” said Linda Fisher the special events and food drive manager for the Food Bank. “The time and effort that was put into this event by the TSMC is so wonderful. We will be able to serve almost 12,000 meals from this donation to those who are hungry in our area.”

The can structures were on display and open to the public during the weekend of the Southern Ideal Home Show, Sept. 21-23, held at the N.C. State Fairgrounds. After the home show, the structures were broken down and the food was donated to the food bank.  

Canstruction®, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that holds annual design and build competitions where all of the food used in the structures is donated to the local food banks. Since its inception, the group has donated more than 10 million cans of food to organizations working to fight hunger. To read more about Canstruction, visit their website. www.canstruction.org.

Teams had one day to complete the build which was held on Tuesday, Sept. 18. One team created their company logo, another team built a house, and the third team built a lighthouse. Food Lion provided discounts on the food, and each team was responsible for determining their structure, can selection and covering the cost of food.

During an evening event on Sept. 20, the structures were judged by a people’s choice as well as a separate juror panel comprised of Linda Fisher, Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina; Larry Holloway, Food Lion; Wayne Holt, Reward Builders and 2012 vice president of the HBA; Michael Hubbard, Michael Hubbard, Architect, PA; and Rick Vancil, Stock Building Supply.

Prizes were awarded to Lennar’s lighthouse structure for People’s Choice, Juror’s Choice and Best Overall. KB Home was awarded Best Meal for the variety of cans they used in their structure, and M/I Homes received Honorable Mention for their logo structure which used the most varieties of Progresso Soup.

“The time and effort that KB Home, Lennar and M/I Homes put into this project is amazing!” said Petra Bottomley, Jordan Built Homes, 2012 Community Service Chair for the TSMC. “It makes me very happy to know this donation will help to feed a lot of hungry people in our area.”

About the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina
The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina is a nonprofit organization that has provided food for people at risk of hunger in 34 counties in central and eastern North Carolina for more than 30 years. The Food Bank serves a network of 800 partner agencies such as soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, and programs for children and adults through warehouses in Durham, Greenville, New Bern, Raleigh, the Sandhills (Southern Pines), and Wilmington. In fiscal year 2011-2012, the Food Bank distributed nearly 45 million pounds of food and non-food essentials through these agencies. Sadly, hunger remains a serious problem in central and eastern North Carolina. In these counties, more than 560,000 struggle each day to provide enough food for their families. www.foodbankcenc.org.

About the HBA and TSMC
The Home Builders Association of Raleigh-Wake County (HBA) is the voice of the home building industry throughout Wake County, and provides members opportunities for business development, education, professional growth, networking and community involvement. The membership, comprised of builders, remodelers, developers, and sales & marketing professionals, is affiliated with the National Association of Home Builders, which represents over 160,000 member companies nationwide. The Triangle Sales and Marketing Council of N.C. (TSMC) provides an effective forum for the exchange of ideas with local, regional, and national experts in the sale and marketing of new homes; and recognizes members’ professional achievements in sales and marketing excellence through a variety of award programs, most notably the MAME Awards. Recent community service projects by HBA and TSMC builders include Habitat for Humanity, holiday food drives, school supply drives, Operation Coming Home, April’s Angels, and various remodel projects.

Higher Resolution Photos available upon request