CHENANGO COUNTY – Chenango County departments are teaming up to attempt back to back wins in the United Way of Mid Rural New York's second annual Canned Structures Competition. An initiative that raises awareness about rising food insecurity across the region and designed to boost donations to local food pantries.

“It's a good opportunity to spread the word about the United Way, to increase the opportunity to donate local food items to food pantries and soup kitchens during the holiday season,” said United Way of Mid Rural New York (UWMRNY) Executive Director Elizabeth Monaco.

The competition invites regional employers, nonprofits, and other organizations, to collect nonperishable food and hygiene items to then use them to build a structure or sculpture. Teams will submit photos of the completed structures by November 30 for judging that takes place the first week of December. After a winner is selected and announced by UWMRNY all of the donated items are distributed to local food pantries and hunger-relief organizations.

At the first competition last year, team Chenango County, made up of the of the County's Planning Department, Health Department, and Attorney's office, won the competition with a detailed replica of the county courthouse. This year, the team is returning with an America 250 theme design for the structure that serves as an homage to the Revolutionary War Veterans of the county according to Planner Allison Yacano.

“Last year, our theme focused solely on Chenango County and our design was based on the historic Chenango County Court House. This year, we wanted to show the importance of Chenango County on the national scale. Chenango County has a large history, particularly involving Revolutionary War veterans and we want to highlight that even though our population may be small, we played and continue to play a role in a larger scale,” Yacano said.

Despite the team's enthusiasm for the initiative, donations have been slow. So far, they have only received around 20 items, not nearly enough to create a winning structure. A stark contrast from last year's collection that exceeded 700 items. Team Chenango County also faces more competition this year as the number of teams participating has doubled.

“We aren't picky on particular items, but canned and boxed items are always great to have. With our America 250 theme, we are hoping to get a lot of red, white, and blue items” said Yacano.

Donations can be brought to the bin found in the main entrance of the County Office Building, and will be accepted through November 16. Per the rules of the competition all items must be unexpired to be used in the final structure.

“Being a Board Member of UWMRNY, I myself find it important to help with the efforts to fight food insecurity. This competition does a great job in gathering organizations and businesses to participate and collect items for our local food pantries,” Yacano said.

Beyond the creative challenge, the competition highlights a growing need across the region as more and more families struggle to afford necessities.

“The hunger issue, which is growing in our communities, there are more and more working families who are struggling to make ends meet and are having to go to food pantries and soup kitchens,” Monaco said.

United Way uses the term ALICE which stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed, to describe households who are struggling even though they earn above the poverty level.

“It's families who work but struggle to make ends meet, and those folks represent about 35% of the population, and if you combine them with families who are living in poverty, it's about one out of two families in our region,” said Monaco.

Rising costs for groceries, gas, and utilities have intensified the strain. Holiday months are especially difficult for families and food pantries alike. The Canned Structures competition serves as a way to spark conversation, reduce stigma, and remind residents that food insecurity often affects working families.

While the competition focuses on non-perishables, Monaco noted that food pantries and soup kitchens, often struggle most with perishable items items such as meats, dairy, fruits, and vegetables, which cannot be used in the structures but are critical for families.

Monaco emphasized that every community in the region has at least one food pantry or soup kitchen, and that common transportation barriers make local support essential.

“Folks who are in need can't necessarily get around to other communities, so they're going to rely on what's right there in their own backyard,” she said.

At the UWMRNY website you can find a list of food pantries and soup kitchens across Chenango, Delaware, Otsego, and Madison counties. Found here: https://www.uwmrny.org/chenango-county-hunger-partnership

“We have an extremely generous community,” Monaco said. “We see that here at the United Way with donations, and then we see it in our broader community with all of the other things that are happening,” she added.

Yacano echoed that sentiment expressing, “I hope that participating in the Canned Structure Competition spreads awareness of such a large need in our community. Especially during the holiday season, food pantries are often times stretched thin and this event helps alleviate some of that pressure. We hope that this event encourages other members of the community to be involved in their local food pantries.”

Residents can support Team Chenango County by donating unexpired canned or boxed goods, to the County Office Building.

“If we're fortunate enough that we can do a little to take care of somebody else, then that's something that we should be doing,” Monaco said.