Wentworth Students Help Fight Hunger with Canstruction Sculpture

Wentworth Sweeney Programs of Construction Management students participated in Canstruction Boston 2024 on October 5th, a charitable event where teams of architects, designers, engineers, contractors, and students create intricate sculptures using canned goods and other nonperishable food items, without adhesives.  

This year’s theme was “ICONS,” and Wentworth Institute of Technology students chose to replicate the “I-CAN-IC” Citgo Sign in their design.  

A team of 17 Construction Management students, led by sophomore Kiera Dempsey and advised by CM Program Administrator Michael D’Agostino, prepared by practicing their structure on campus before the competition, which took place at the Boston Society for Architecture (BSA) Space.  

The final sculpture used nearly 900 cans, stood over 7 feet tall, and took approximately 2.5 hours to build. Although the Wentworth team did not win an award, Dempsey expressed gratitude for the opportunity to participate. “The experience of being part of this incredible event was thanks enough,” she said.  

The event featured 11 teams, including participants from Annum Architects, Arup, CUBE 3, Goody Clancy, L.A. Fuess Partners, McNamara Salvia, Nitsch Engineering, Northeastern University, Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, and South Coast Improvement Company.  

Collectively, the teams gathered nearly 27,000 cans, which were donated to the Merrimack Valley Food Bank, supporting their efforts to serve over 71,000 individuals monthly. Since its inception in 2011, Canstruction Boston has provided more than 600,000 pounds of food to the Merrimack Valley Food Bank, a vital resource as food insecurity rates rise in the region. Wentworth’s Construction Management students have been proud participants in the event since 2018. Special thanks go to SMPS Boston for organizing the event and to BSA/SPACE and Atlantic Wharf for hosting. 

Find photos below or on our Flickr page.