By Linda Kaplan and Karen Mueser

For the fifth year in a row, the Pittsburgh Younger Member Forum teamed up with the Keystone-Mountain-Lakes Carpenter’s Union to enter the annual CANstruction Pittsburgh competition.

This year’s entry “Giving Everything to End Hunger” was a 3D version of the cover of Shel Silverstien’s classic book “The Giving Tree”. The design was selected to fit with the competition theme of “Food for Thought.”  Constructed over the course of six hours by Karen Mueser, Linda Kaplan, and Erin Feichtner of the YMF along with members of the Carpenter’s Union, the display was eight feet wide and eight feet tall with the tree and leaves projecting out.  It all starts with a sturdy trunk of potatoes sitting on a verdant hill of spinach, green beans and peas.  The sky comprised of chicken broth and a variety of beans.  The tree’s canopy comprised of almost 500 cans of tuna – that’s nearly 140 pounds of fish.

Perhaps the best part of CANstruction is the cause. All of the cans used in the structure were donated to our food bank partner, The Brashear Association, which is located in Pittsburgh’s Southside. With more than 2,000 cans of food weighing over 1,600 pounds, this Giving Tree will live up to its name, providing many meals for the families of Pittsburgh.  We are pleased to be donating so much good food to the members of our community that need it.

While CANstruction is ultimately a food charity, there is a healthy dose of competition between the teams and six awards from the ‘Best Use of Labels’ to ‘Fan Favorite’ were up for grabs. This year, “Giving Everything to End Hunger” won the 2017 award for “Juror’s Choice” as the favorite of the 5 local judges.  The structure will now go on to compete in the National level competition via photos.

We would like to extend a special thanks to everyone that donated to the project including: friends, family, and members of the ASCE Pittsburgh Section, Giant Eagle Parkway Center,  The Greater Pennsylvania Regional Carpenters Unions with special thanks to Locals 443, 432 and 441, Civil and Environmental Consultants, Inc., and HDR.