A crazy, fun, silly, family food drive for SVdP
From robots to forts and even a fish, the canned-good structures families are building for a unique St. Vincent de Paul food drive are taking all kinds of creative shapes and forms.
The idea behind the Can-struction Pantry Challenge is simple:
1. Build a structure out of whatever nonperishable food items you find in your pantry.
2. Donate the food you use in your structure to SVdP.
3. Post a photo of your creation on social media and challenge three friends to build something bigger, funnier or more creative! Use #SVdPPantryChallenge so we can see your can-structions!
“With so many families still staying close to home, we thought this would make a great family-fun activity that also helps out the community,” said Emily Radawec, the SVdP community drives manager.
Emily hopes that fun food drives like this can help recuperate some of the food donations lost from cancelled drives due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Typically, SVdP springtime drives bring in hundreds of thousands of pounds of food that help get the nonprofit through the summer and into the fall. Those donations keep the kitchen, dining rooms and food boxes for home visits stocked.
“Understandably, many offices and community groups could no longer meet in-person to put on their food drive for SVdP,” Emily said, “but this is a way to still be part of a collective good right from your home and help some neighbors in need.”
Participants can always drop off their can-struction donations at SVdP’s Main Campus (2120 S. 3rd Dr., Phoenix, AZ, 85003), but one community partner is helping host a more convenient drop-off site for households in the Arcadia neighborhood of Phoenix.
On June 27, Provision Coffee (4501 N 32nd St, Phoenix, AZ 85018) will have a SVdP truck on site to accept can-struction donations from 8-10 a.m. Simply drop off your food items while you grab a cup of coffee at the local spot.
Can’t make your donation in person? You can still support the SVdP mission by donating online! SVdP will put every cent toward purchasing food to help feed families, especially with so many more turning to the nonprofit for food assistance during the pandemic.
