Charity People

Woburn GC Wins Award for Charity Event

151010_CANStruction_09Woburn, MA- Tocci recently participated in the 2015 Canstruction Boston competition, the annual charity event hosted by the Boston Chapter of the Society for Design Administration and Boston Society of Architects (BSA). Following construction of the can sculptures, Tocci was recognized with the “Best Meal Award” during the judging process on Wednesday, October 14th, and will be entered into the international competition. The 20th Annual Canstruction Boston sculptures are housed at the BSA space within Atlantic Wharf, and are open to the general public as free art exhibits through Saturday, October 31st, 2015.

Firms in the Greater Boston area built sculptures made entirely of canned goods that will later be donated to help combat hunger. Founded in 1992, Canstruction’s mission is to feed and inspire the world, one can at a time. This community service project benefits countless hungry across the world, as communities in over 150 cities join together to give back. It also focuses on showcasing the creativity of the design industry.

The Tocci construction team included: Mark Herstein, Val Tzvetkov, Jessica Valadares, Grant Giller, Marc Parella, Jared Nicklas, Maria Schneider, Maria Pelaggi, Nat Eames, Xiaoxiao Li, Joe Flaherty, and Maxim Maximovitch.

“We were thrilled to participate in Canstruction during its 20th year and receive the “Best Meal Award” recognition,” states Bud LaRosa, Tocci’s Chief Business Performance Officer. “We were honored to compete alongside other talented and creative companies within the design, construction, and engineering fields. Knowing that our participation in the event will make a difference by supporting local food banks is inspiring. On a greater scale, our hope is that events like Canstruction will increase awareness of hunger within our communities, and inspire others to take action by joining similar causes.”

Tocci’s sculpture was created using 4,569 canned goods, all of which will be donated to the Merrimack Valley Food Bank. Wegmans generously donated 500 cans toward Tocci’s creation.

In 2014, the Boston Canstruction competition donated nearly 24,000 pounds of food from the participating 15 firms to The Merrimack Valley Food Bank. Notably, the fundraiser has supplied 400,000 pounds of food to families in need over the last 20 years. The exhibit showcasing the final structures is open to the public at the BSA space within Atlantic Wharf located at 290 Congress Street in Boston.

During Canstruction, Tocci competed alongside AEC firms such as CBT Architects, Gensler, Prellwitz Chilinski Associates, and several other industry-leading companies. The awards given consist of: People’s Choice & Structural Ingenuity, Best Use of Labels, Director’s Choice, Best Meal, Honorable Mention, and Juror’s Favorite. At the close of the competition, all of the canned goods will be donated to the Merrimack Valley Food Bank, based out of Lowell, Massachusetts.