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Picture a grand piano, a guitar, or a giant tuba built entirely from soup cans. Sounds like a fun design, right?
In the spirit of Giving Tuesday coming up on Dec. 1, Tri-Cities Canstruction is inviting locals to back one of eight teams building music-inspired structures out of canned food for its “Harmony for Hunger” exhibit. When the show is over, every can will be donated to a local food pantry.
Here’s what to know:
Pick your favorite: Donors can choose to support a specific team, design firm, or food pantry. Each team pairs a local organization with an architect or engineer.
Where the money goes: Donations buy cans for the chosen team’s build, so more money means a bigger structure or better can choices. All leftover dollars go straight to that team’s pantry. Every $10 provides about five meals.
Eight pantries benefit: Each team picked a different pantry, stretching from Elgin to Aurora: Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry, The Salvation Army TriCity Corps, Northern Illinois Food Bank, Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry, Food for Greater Elgin, Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry, Waubonsee College Food Pantry, and Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry.
See it for free: The finished structures, some up to 10 feet tall and 10 feet wide, will be on display Feb. 19–23, 2027, at Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove. Admission is free and open to all ages.
Organizers say more teams may still join the lineup. Learn more and donate here.
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