2022 Canstruction recap
Canstruction 2022 brought State of Indiana employees together in phenomenal ways: In total, 51 teams put heads together to collect cans and create their unique Canstructions; and overall, we collected 24,268 cans, not including the boxed goods that were collected!
“I’m touched by how many state employees embraced giving through this initiative,” says Indiana State Personnel Department (INSPD) Director and Canstruction judge, Matt Brown. “A lot of people in need will be fed as a direct result of state employee generosity.”
Thanks to your donations and your Canstruction ingenuity, this year, INSPD received photos of structures including everything from cranes on a construction site and wild duck hunts, to agency logos and the state flag. And more than a few of your Canstructions made us laugh out loud.
This year, five teams collected over 1000 cans, and three teams blew it out of the park with over 2000: Department of Labor’s team, “Labor Can” donated 2,143 cans for their construction site masterpiece; DCS Team “MadCo Fo’ Sho’” donated 2,653 cans for their dumpster fire.
And to win the “Most Cans Collected” award, the State Fair Commission’s team, “Indiana State Fair” collected an astronomical 2,864 cans for their re-Canstruction of the Indiana Farmers Coliseum!
And, no surprise, the State Fair Commission also took home the 2022 “Best Canstruction” award for their ingenuity and execution.
“I thought the construction of The Indiana State Fair Commission was particularly impressive,” says Canstruction judge Bethany Watson from Gleaners Food Bank. “The architecture and design are visually interesting, and I’m sure it took some time to plan.”
“These are all great entries,” says Canstruction judge Michele Holtkamp, representing the Office of Governor Holcomb. “But the top 3 I selected were in-depth, had big personalities and carried a theme.” Among her favorites was the Dept of Labor team, Labor Can’s construction site: “The use of a crane gave it that little something extra.” Another of her favorites was Hoosier Lottery’s “Powerball Sees His Shadow.”
“I really loved the photo entry for the INDOT Seymour District,” says Watson about team Seymour CPM’s creation, “Duck Hunt.” “Not only did they have the visual aspect with the cans and decorations, but the whole team got involved and even used props. They look like a fun group!”
“INDOT Seymour’s duck hunting construction made me laugh because of the dog’s face,” continues Brown.
Another judge favorite was DOC Wabash team, Team WVCF’s Converse High top, complete with laces and a tribute to Governor Holcomb’s Next Level Campaign.
“This is a great way to inspire healthy competition between different departments while raising support for local hunger relief organizations,” says Watson. “We greatly appreciate the donations enabled as a result of this event!”