December 4, 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 5, 2014
For more information, contact:
Natalie Lester
Moxley Carmichael
865-544-0088
Competition ends with donation of 19,000 cans of food to Second Harvest
Randy Fields, Holiday Canstruction event chair and Messer Construction Co. business development executive, packages the cans for delivery to Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee. The second annual Holiday Canstruction art exhibit, which was on display at the Knoxville Convention Center, Nov. 22-Dec. 2, donated more than 19,000 cans of food to Second Harvest to feed those in need this holiday season.
Seven local teams of architects, engineers and construction companies received the results of Knoxville’s second annual “Holiday Canstruction” at an awards reception at the Knoxville Convention Center, with Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee as the ultimate winner.
Holiday Canstruction, a massive can sculpture art competition presented by Messer Construction Co., benefits Second Harvest, which will use the donated canned goods to feed thousands in East Tennessee this holiday season.
“All of the teams showed great enthusiasm and creativity in the design and craftsmanship of their entries,” said Randy Fields, Holiday Canstruction event chair and business development executive for Messer Construction Co.
“The judges faced a very difficult challenge deciding the award recipients from among such great sculptures. At the end of the day, however, the real winners will be Second Harvest and the East Tennesseans that will receive more than 19,000 cans of food to help feed their families this holiday season.”
Twelve judges, who represented media, local food production companies and arts and tourism organizations, convened to select the Holiday Canstruction award winners. They scored each structure in five categories. Also, a People’s Choice award was decided through a public vote on the Knoxville Canstruction Facebook page. The Kids’ Choice award, presented by East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, was selected through paper ballot by voters 17 years old and younger.
At the Tuesday reception, presented by Shoffner Kalthoff Mechanical Electrical Service, Fields announced the top awards.
The award winners and sculptures are as follows:
- “A CANtastic Peanuts Christmas,” by Johnson Architecture, Partners Development and Moxley Carmichael: Jurors’ Favorite and Kids’ Choice awards
- “Getting a Leg Up on Hunger,” by Realty Trust Group, Design Innovation, DMG Bluegill and Hedstrom Design: Best Use of Labels and People’s Choice awards
- “Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a can or a store,” by the University of Tennessee College of Engineering: Best Meal award
- “Oh CANnenbaum” by Messer Construction Co. and CH2M HILL: Largest Food Donation award
- “A Slice of PeCAN Pie,” by Cope Associates Inc., Management Solutions LLC and the National Association of Women in Construction: Best Execution of Concept award
- “Grandma Got CANover by a Reindeer,” by Studio Four Design, CBi and Merit Construction: Structural Ingenuity award
Photos of all sculptures are available at http://www.facebook.com/knoxcan. Those interested in forming teams for the 2015 event may contact Randy Fields at [email protected] to be notified when planning begins.
Nationally, Canstruction events take place in 170 cities and are one of the largest national contributors of food to local food banks.
“Holiday Canstruction will provide more than 19,000 cans of food to help fill the need this holiday season,” Rachael Ellis, Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee donor and corporate relations coordinator, said at the ceremony. “This donation will help feed 14,000 this holiday season, and we are extremely grateful.”
Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee targets the working poor – those who are employed but might not receive benefits or earn sufficient wages. According to Second Harvest, one in six East Tennesseans lives in poverty and has difficulty meeting basic needs.
Second Harvest secures and distributes more than 16 million pounds of food and grocery products annually and is a partner with Feeding America, a national network of food banks.
About Messer Construction Co.
Messer Construction Co. is a construction manager and general contractor providing leadership for complex commercial building projects. An employee-owned company, Messer builds better lives for its customers, communities and each other, and delivers value through quality construction and client experiences. Founded in 1932, Messer’s footprint has grown to nine regional offices located across the Midwest and Southeast. The company is consistently ranked among the country’s 100 largest contractors by Engineering News-Record, and in fiscal 2013, Messer put in place more than $830 million in commercial construction. Messer now stands as one of the nation’s leading health care and higher education builders, and also boasts extensive, award-winning work in the life sciences and industrial market segments. Messer employees live where they work, resulting in the company’s sustained commitment to building better communities. That commitment has remained paramount throughout Messer’s growth, and it is achieved annually through the company’s own foundation and through the time, service and dollars invested by its employee-owners in community organizations and causes.
