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2024 Canstructure Competition Official Team Registration

Please read the event details below and complete your team's registration information.

Youth Volunteer Corps of Hampton Roads has supported the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank for the past 12 years by hosting a STEM competition for students that doubles as a large-scale service project. This design-and-build event allows youth in grades K-12 to test their creativity and problem-solving skills by collecting canned goods and then building a 3-dimensional themed structure from those food donations. Teams are challenged to raise awareness of food insecurity issues in our community, utilize real-world engineering and math skills, and demonstrate teamwork in a timed competition. The annual Canstructure Competition generates hundreds of participants and spectators with special guests from various industries and business sectors. Most importantly, it helps stock the shelves of the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank with TENS of THOUSANDS of pounds of food! To see highlights from past Canstructure events, please visit www.yvchr.org/canstructure-competition.

As before, middle and high school teams will build and present their designs at Patrick Henry Mall, and each elementary school team will build and present their project at their respective school site. 

The theme for 2024 is Connecting Worlds Through Literature.

All Elementary School Canstructure designs should be completed by Monday, April 15th. Presentations will be scheduled throughout that week; YVCHR and Foodbank staff will visit your students to record their presenations and get group photos of the students with their Canstructure project.
All middle and high school Canstructure teams should be ready to transport their food and supplies to Patrick Henry Mall for the on-site competition on Saturday, April 27th. Empty retail spaces will be available by Thursday, April 25th for those who want to store their food (clearly labeled in boxes) at the mall in advance of the event.

The deadline to register your team for the Canstructure Competition is March 1st. 

If you have any questions please contact Katie Morgan (kmorgan@yvchr.org), PJ Davis (programdirector@yvchr.org), or Jeremy Wall (jwall@yvchr.org)
1.What is your team's affiliation (name of school, faith organization, athletic team, boy/girl scout troop, etc.)?(Required.)
2.Who is the team sponsor (each team is required to have one adult team sponsor as a point of contact and logistics coordinator)?(Required.)
3.What is your team's age level?(Required.)
4.I acknowledge that all middle and high school students/participants will need to create a YDAT account with YVCHR by March 29th (before spring break). Forms for elementary students will be available in the toolkit. (Required.)
5.Please include any questions, suggestions or comments below (optional). Please include any additional sponsors here. 
6.By checking the box below, I acknowledge the following competition requirements:
  • All team members in grades 6-12 will create a volunteer profile at https://ydat.org/site/HamptonRoads. This step ensures we have a completed program waiver on-file. 
  • All team members' hours will be tracked and reported to YVCHR (Google Sheets will be provided). 
  • The team sponsor understands that middle and high school teams will compete at Patrick Henry Mall on Saturday, April 27th (8am - 3:30pm), and elementary teams will build their structures at their school sites with a presentation for judges scheduled the week of April 15th. All teams are invited to the Awards Ceremony at Patrick Henry Mall on 4/27 at 2:30pm at Center Court. 
  • The team sponsor has permission from the school/organization to compete in the 2024 Canstructure Competition.
(Required.)
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