Frederick Rescue Mission Hosts First Annual Canstruction

This month, The Frederick Rescue Mission brought a one-of-a-kind community event and service project to their community—Canstruction Frederick! Canstruction is an international charity competition where teams of industry professionals build large-scale sculptures entirely from canned food to raise awareness for local food insecurity and ultimately help feed the hungry.

We had the pleasure of partnering with Bates Architects and The Common Market Co-Op to create "Spires and the Creek," a collage sculpture paying homage to some of Frederick's most cherished landmarks.

From the outset, our team worked collaboratively to identify a concept that was both meaningful and structurally ambitious. The design that emerged drew from the classic Frederick skyline— featuring local stapes such as the green mountain-scape of the Catoctin Mountains and the Carroll Creek Linear Park. While Bates developed the vision through hand drawings, renderings, and 3-D modeling, we contributed our construction expertise throughout, working through the practical realities of building at scale with canned goods. We helped the team think through leveling materials, load distribution, and what supplies and techniques would be needed to execute the design successfully on build day.

"Spires and the Creek" earned two awards for Structural Ingenuity and Best Meal, and we couldn't be prouder of our team for earning these honors. We're grateful to the Frederick, MD community for embracing this inaugural event, and supporting the vital work of the Frederick Rescue Mission. More than 25,000 cans were used in the competition and are set to be donated, and the amazing sculptures are now on display at Warehouse Cinemas in Frederick—so stop by and see them until the People's Choice Award voting closes on July 5th!