Colorado State University Canstruction Competition is Oct. 5 at the Lory Student Center Plaza on Campus

Colorado State University students, staff and faculty, along with local K-12 students and community members, will join on the Lory Student Center plaza for CANStruction 2006 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5. During CANStruction, teams will compete to build the most outstanding structure out of nonperishable items gathered for Cans Around the Oval, the annual food drive hosted by the university.

The 16 participating groups will cover the Colorado State Plaza with artistic expressions of each group’s commitment to helping the hungry in Larimer County. The winning team in the competition is decided by spectators and judges who cast votes. The team that wins will recreate their structure on the steps of the Administration Building on Oct. 12 as part of the festivities for Cans Around the Oval.

All teams that participate in CANStruction will receive 100 extra bonus points that will be added to their total pounds, and the winning team will receive an extra 500 points. Groups and individuals from across the university compete to have the largest number of points on campus. Pounds of collected food also equate to points.

Cans Around the Oval is the largest food drive in Northern Colorado. Last year, more than 117,000 pounds of food was raised for the Food Bank for Larimer County. This 19-year tradition has created unity in the Colorado State and Fort Collins communities while fighting hunger. At the conclusion of the food drive, all donated canned food is temporarily arranged around the university’s historic Oval to display the community’s generosity. This year’s Cans Around the Oval will take place from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12.

Teams must register for CANstruction in advance at the Office of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement. For additional information about CANstruction, contact Jen Johnson at (970) 491-2955.

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