Providence, RI The generosity of companies and individuals alike made the fourth biennial Canstruction Rhode Island sculpture exhibit at the Providence Place Mall a resounding success. The design competition helped to raise awareness about the issue of hunger in Rhode Island and resulted in a donation of more than 22,000 pounds of food to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank.

A recent Canstruction RI gala honored the teams of architects, contractors, engineers and other volunteers who found sponsors, then designed and built spectacular sculptures from canned foods. The two-week juried exhibit drew the attention of thousands, many of whom snapped photos or voted on the Providence Place Mall website for the "People's Choice" award. After "de-canstruction" and transportation of the canned goods to the Food Bank, photos of the sculptures were set to go on display in the Providence Place Mall Skybridge Concourse for several weeks. Digital photos of those receiving juried awards were submitted to the Canstruction International Competition (http://canstruction.org) for judging at the May convention of the American Institute of Architects.

At the gala, where selected sculpture teams received their awards, Andrew Schiff, chief executive officer of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, cited the Canstruction effort as a "model for how the community can cooperate to give, and help people in need.