BERGEN COUNTY CANSTRUCTION KICKS OFF AT AMERICAN DREAM WITH FOUR STUDENT-LED TEAMS FROM BERGEN COUNTY HIGH SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

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Thursday, March 07 2024 @ 10:02 am

East Rutherford, NJ – County Executive Tedesco, the Board of County Commissioners, and American Dream announce that the Bergen County Office of Food Security, in partnership with American Dream in East Rutherford has officially kicked off Bergen County Canstruction 2024!

Canstruction? is an international charity competition where teams compete to build giant structures from full cans of food, which are donated to local food banks and pantries at the end of the competition. Bergen County Canstruction will feature 4 student-led teams representing Bergen Community College, Ramapo College of New Jersey, the Bergen County Technical School District and Henry P. Becton Regional High School– each of whom worked for weeks and months to develop unique and creative designs for their structures.

After these designs were approved, each team was paired with a sponsor to help procure the cans needed for their build; we thank all of the sponsors of Bergen County Canstruction 2024 including Alaimo Engineering Group, Glass Gardens Inc., GOYA Foods, Inserra Supermarkets, and Bergen County Commissioner Tracy Zur.

After the 4 teams build their structures overnight, Canstruction? will be open as an “art-walk” experience at American Dream – on display from Friday March 1st to Thursday March 7th. Visitors will be able to see these unique structures firsthand, learning about the theme of each build and also about the issue of food insecurity in Bergen County.

“This competition is a remarkable and inspiring opportunity for our students and our local food pantries,” said Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco. “These structures will be viewed by the tens of thousands of people who visit American Dream, providing our students a unique platform to express themselves all while utilizing creativity, compassion, and community to raise awareness of food insecurity.”

“We are thrilled to host Bergen County Canstruction this year and provide high school and college students a platform to showcase their creativity and innovation,” said Byran Gaus, Senior VP and General Manager of American Dream. “Our guests are going to truly appreciate the artwork and the fact that it is for such a worthy cause of fighting hunger and supporting local food pantries.”

“Bergen County Canstruction combines science, engineering and art to become a dynamic force for change,” said Commissioner Tracy Zur. “It is crucial for us to shine a light on the need for food security in our communities. At the end of this competition, our students’ art will be used to actively combat hunger, creating a lasting impact that extends far beyond the exhibit and hopefully resonates with the thousands of people that will get to see this amazing art live in the American Dream over the next week.”

The competition will conclude with a judging panel and award ceremony on Thursday March 7th, where a winner for best design and online vote will be crowned.