Architects Orange (AO), located in our very own Old Towne, is participating in CANstruction, a unique charity event focused on hunger relief. Impressively, Architects Orange designed and built a large-scale sculpture of a hot air balloon, called “Rising Above Hunger,” completely out of canned food and pantry items! This balloon is HUGE—and it’s for a huge cause! At the close of the exhibition, all of the canned food will be donated to the Orange County Food Bank for distribution to shelters, soup kitchens and other emergency feeding programs. CANstruction events have been held in over 150 cities worldwide and have helped raise over 25 million pounds of food since 1992!
A build team of about 20 Architects Orange employees, with the help of generous corporate sponsors, completed their “Rising Above Hunger” entry to CANstruction 2015, working continuously from 10PM to 5PM from Sept. 4th to Sept. 5th. Their contribution to the fight against food insecurity in Orange County involved 4,888 pantry items built to resemble a hot air balloon floating in the sky. A freestanding wall of canned corn and greens depict regional mountain views and spell out the encouraging concept: “Rising Above Hunger.” All components of the structure and other food the team purchased will be donated to local food banks in time for the holidays. AO also raised more than three times their original goal in donations for the Food Bank! Congratulations to this amazing team!
If you’re curious about CANstruction, visit their website to learn how you can donate or participate! Architects Orange’s “Rising Above Hunger” will be on display during the month of September on the second floor of Crystal Court in South Coast Plaza, in front of Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel and from October 1st through November 29th at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine!
Description: “Rising Above Hunger” incorporates 4,888 pantry items to celebrate the communal effort involved triumphing over food insecurity. It presents a message of hope that we can surmount the issue of hunger in our generation by working together in efforts like Canstruction 2015. Orange is a color representative of hope. Orange has also been integral to Architects Orange, which was founded in the City of Orange in 1974 and continues to be based there. We also recognize that hunger is a local, immediate issue. Thus, the foothills surrounding Orange County are depicts in the background to remind us to acknowledge and meet the needs before each of us. The complementary blue tones symbolize water and sky, reminders of our infinite potential to better the world around us.
