{"id":8330,"date":"2026-04-17T15:17:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T15:17:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nnycf.org\/?p=8330"},"modified":"2026-04-17T15:17:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T15:17:21","slug":"canstruction-winners-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nnycf.org\/new\/canstruction-winners-26\/","title":{"rendered":"Foundation\u2019s Youth Philanthropy Council Announces Winners of Fourth \u2018Canstruction\u2019 Competition"},"content":{"rendered":"

More than 3,300 Food and Hygiene Items Collected to Reduce Food Insecurity<\/i><\/span><\/h3>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>WATERTOWN \u2014<\/b> The Northern New York Community Foundation\u2019s Youth Philanthropy Council is pleased <\/span>to announce the winners of the fourth \u201cCanstruction for Northern New York\u201d<\/b> competition to help reduce food insecurity across the region.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Five participating teams combined to collect more than 3,300 canned goods and other nonperishable food items or hygiene products that will help restock school-based backpack programs and community food pantries in Jefferson and Lewis counties. Additionally, the winning teams will share $1,500 in grant awards to present to two different school-based backpack programs that participants selected.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>With nearly 700 votes cast, Carthage Middle School\u2019s Builders Club & Student Government<\/b> entry is the \u201cPeople\u2019s Choice Award\u201d winner for its sculpture titled \u201cBee.\u201d The class also won the \u201cTop Collection Award\u201d with 1,792 canned goods and other nonperishable items collected.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Carthage Middle School Classroom Teaching Assistant and Club Advisor Alicia Anderson<\/b> led efforts again this year to rally student participation from each of the district\u2019s buildings in the competition. Ms. Anderson said her students ran a collection drive contest for three weeks to inspire classes throughout the school to collect food and hygiene items for use in their sculpture.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cStudents spent several hours constructing the design during free times and after school,\u201d Ms. Anderson said. <\/span>\u201cWe constructed a beehive surrounded by trees and bees, one of the most crucial stewards in the entirety of our ecosystem. We are very proud of all the students\u2019 hard work, creativity, and their dedication to a theme of kindness and compassion.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\\\"\\\"\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Watertown High School\u2019s Student Council<\/b> is this year\u2019s winner of the \u201cBest Design Award\u201d for \u201cTurn Hunger on Its Head,\u201d a sculpture of an upside-down cyclone, which was built with 562 collected canned goods and other nonperishable items.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWe wanted to turn hunger on its head,\u201d Student Council Advisor and High School Science Teacher Jennifer Akins<\/b> said. \u201cFor our first year participating in the canstruction competition, we think it went well!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Ms. Akins said the Student Council held a competition between classes to motivate all students to help collect needed items.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThe winning class will be presented with a $1,000 donation to go toward their senior year fundraising goals,\u201d she said. \u201cSeniors came in first place, donating 168 items, followed by the sophomore class with 152 items. Our juniors were close behind with 140 items donated, followed by the freshman class, donating 102 items.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\\\"\\\"\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Each of the five participating teams will donate all items used to build their sculptures to a local food pantry or backpack program while award winners will each receive a $500 grant for participants to distribute to a nonprofit of their choice.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Carthage Middle School\u2019s Builders Club & Student Government students designated the district\u2019s \u201cComet Closet\u201d backpack program to receive their collected items. Students also selected the backpack program as the recipient of two $500 grant awards they won for the \u201cPeople\u2019s Choice Award\u201d and the \u201cTop Collection Award.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Watertown High\u2019s Student Council designated the district\u2019s Backpack Program, which supports students and families on the weekends, to receive the hundreds of food items they collected as well as the $500 grant for the \u201cBest Design Award.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Other teams participating in this year\u2019s competition include: Beaver River Central School\u2019s 9th grade Earth science class<\/b> with \u201cPack It Up;\u201d First Presbyterian Church of Watertown\u2019s Sunday School Class and Youth Group <\/b>with \u201cFood Steeple;\u201d and South Jefferson High School\u2019s Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) chapter<\/b> with \u201cBe the Light in Someone\u2019s Storm.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>The three teams combined to collect 948 canned goods and other nonperishable food and hygiene items for use in their sculpture. Beaver River Central School\u2019s 9th grade Earth science class will donate its collected items to the Beaver River Backpack Program; First Presbyterian Church of Watertown\u2019s Sunday School Class and Youth Group will donate its collected items to the Watertown Urban Mission food pantry; and the South Jefferson High School\u2019s Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) chapter will donate its collected items to the South Jefferson Backpack Program.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cCanstruction for Northern New York\u201d encouraged tri-county students to team up and build a fun, themed structure made of donated canned food and other nonperishable food items or hygiene products to support a local food pantry or backpack program of their choice and help reduce food insecurity across the region.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>The Foundation\u2019s LEAD Council held the first \u201cCanstruction\u201d competition in 2023 and continued the initiative until 2025 before handing it off to the Youth Philanthropy Council to lead. Over four years, 25 teams from across the region have participated, collecting nearly 16,200 canned goods and other nonperishable food and hygiene items that have been donated to local food pantries and school-based backpack programs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Participating students had a chance to support essential needs for tri-county residents while learning values of community philanthropy and building school spirit around a project that made a meaningful difference in the lives of others. The project helped raise awareness about hunger and food insecurity in local communities and empowered students to collaborate and inspire their school and community.<\/span><\/p>\n

About the Youth Philanthropy Council<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>The Youth Philanthropy Council is an advisory committee of the Community Foundation. It was chartered in 2010 to promote positive youth development and leadership while engaging young people in meaningful activities that build their skills and deepen their understanding of community needs and philanthropy and its impact on Northern New York. Council members grow to become critical thinkers as they engage in lessons that may never be taught in a classroom.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Since its inception in 2010, the Youth Philanthropy Council has awarded 155 grants totaling $285,070 in support to nonprofit organizations that serve residents of Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties. In the past 15 years, nearly 170 students representing eight Northern New York high schools have served or are presently serving on the Youth Philanthropy Council.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>This year\u2019s Youth Philanthropy Council includes 14 student delegates from Carthage<\/b>, General Brown<\/b>, Immaculate Heart<\/b>, Lyme<\/b>, and South Jefferson<\/b> central schools, and Watertown High School<\/b>. Council members are in their junior, or senior years.<\/span><\/p>\n

About the Northern New York Community Foundation<\/b><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Since 1929, the Northern New York Community Foundation has invested in improving and enriching the quality of life for all in communities across Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Through partnerships with businesses and organizations, charitable foundations, and generous families and individual donors, the Community Foundation awards grants and scholarships from an endowment and collection of funds that benefit the region. Its commitment to donors helps individuals achieve their charitable objectives now and for generations to come by preserving and honoring legacies of community philanthropy while inspiring others.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>The Community Foundation is a resource for local charitable organizations, donors, professional advisors and nonprofit organizations. It also works to bring people together at its permanent home in the Northern New York Philanthropy Center to discuss challenges our communities face and find creative solutions that strengthen the region and make it a great place to live, work, and play.<\/p>\n

\\\"\\\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

More than 3,300 Food and Hygiene Items Collected to Reduce Food Insecurity \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 WATERTOWN \u2014 The Northern New York Community Foundation\u2019s Youth Philanthropy Council is pleased to announce the winners of the fourth \u201cCanstruction for Northern New York\u201d competition to help reduce food insecurity across the region. \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 Five participating teams combined to …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["type-post","category-recent-news","entry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nnycf.org\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8330","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nnycf.org\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nnycf.org\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nnycf.org\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nnycf.org\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8330"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nnycf.org\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8330\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nnycf.org\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nnycf.org\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nnycf.org\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}