FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

May 15, 2024

Contacts:

Joe Bell                                                           Renee Fuller                             

Director of Corporate Communications           Director of Development

Cafaro Company                                             Second Harvest Food Bank

jbell@cafarocompany.com                                        rfuller@shfbmv.org   

330-743-7688                                                330-792-5522

724-730-4532 (Mobile)                               

Summer Bites: Building Joy One Can at a Time

The summer season has come to be known as a time for construction.  Why not a little CAN-struction, as well?  The Eastwood Mall Complex is looking for imaginative people to create works of art from canned foods.  Those cans will ultimately be used by Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley to feed hungry people, while the best design wins the title of Best CAN-struction. The name of this competition is Summer Bites: Building Joy One Can at a Time. 

We’re looking for teams from local organizations, businesses, social clubs, schools and other groups who are willing to collect canned goods, then design and build structures inside Eastwood Mall. Each CAN-struction must fit within a 10’x10’x10’ space.  Enter your team by contacting Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley at 330-792-5522 or online at rfuller@shfbmv.org.The schedule is as follows:

Deadline for entries: July 8

Drawings submitted: July 15

Food delivered to mall: July 29-August 1

Build night: August 2

Judging and Awards: August 3

CAN-structions on public display: August 4 – September 1

De-CAN-struction: September 3

     Media sponsors for the event include WFMJ-TV, WHOT and The CW.

     Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley, a partner of Feeding America, provides food to those in need in the tri-county area through 160 programs and hunger-relief organizations, which include church pantries, homeless shelters, meal sites, shelters for battered women, school pantries and after-school programs.  In 2023, the Food Bank distributed more than 10.5 million pounds of food, including 2.4 million pounds of produce.  For more information on the Food Bank, please visit www.mahoningvalleysecondharvest.org  or call 330-792-5522.

     The Eastwood Mall Complex is located at 5555 Youngstown-Warren Road, in Niles, Ohio.  It is one of America’s largest shopping centers and attracts more than 13 million visitors annually with more than 200 department stores, specialty shops, restaurants, hotels and entertainment options.  The Eastwood Mall Complex is owned and managed in association with Cafaro-affiliated companies, based in Niles, Ohio. For more information, visit online at: www.eastwoodmall.com and www.cafarocompany.com.

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