To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.

Then come back here and refresh the page.

It’s the first year the Helping Hands Food Pantry in Belton has held a 'Canstruction' contest. Seven teams went head-to-head to create structures completely out of canned food.

It was all about winning the eyes of the judges at the Mayborn Campus Center as the teams raced against the clock to construct their structures after weeks of preparation.

Tristan Beal said her team practiced for hours before the big day.

"It's not as easy as you think it is," she said. "You have to put a lot of work into it."

Beal's team, 'Team Fuego,' was made up of church youth group members who decided to build a lighthouse using cans of tomato sauce. They simulated the water surrounding the lighthouse with cans of tuna.

While the competition was creative, there was an important meaning behind all the fun.

"The purpose of Canstruction Belton is to promote the awareness of those who are in need and deal with food insecurity on a regular basis," organizer Rucker Preston said. "When you think about it, there are some people who don't have dinner and this is a way to help them."

Preston said the donations from the competition will add up to more than 15,000 cans of food.

"We anticipate to increase the amount of food we give our clients by 20 percent over the next two to three months, which really goes a long way for families," Preston said.

The public can also get involved by stopping by and taking a look at the sculptures.

Doors will open up at the Mayborn Campus Center Friday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

The admission fee is $1 or a canned good. Each additional can of food brought in will give visitors a chance to vote for their favorite sculpture.