REES Takes a Bite Out of Hunger at CANstruction Dallas

From Concept to Cans

Our team found inspiration from the poison apple scene from Snow White. The image of the apple emerging from the cauldron, draped in dripping green poison with a skull etched into its surface, became the creative spark for our design. The final design layers a red apple beneath a dripping coat of poison, with a carved skull on the front and a bite taken from the back. The color palette came together with a variety of canned beans. We used green beans for the poison, dark red kidney and ranch beans for the apple and black beans for the facial features. A mix of white northern beans and potatoes provided the pale yellow needed for the bite mark. Canned beets filled in the transition between the red and green. 

Building the Curve

Getting the shape right took a different approach to our past builds. To provide an organic, fluid shape, our team placed a leveling board between every layer.  Because the apple curves in on itself, most of the inside of the structure ended up hollow. Each level was cut into sections that lined up along the leveling board’s seams, keeping the build centered and stable as it reached 24 levels high.  

Build Day

Preparations started Friday night, when our team unloaded pallets, organized cans by type and laid out the base template at NorthPark Center. Building started bright and early at 5:00 AM Saturday morning, and our groundwork paid off. The team finished with plenty of time to spare ahead of the official stop time. 

Team Captains Toni Huerta and Kaci Tate credit the strong team turnout and prior preparation for how smoothly the day came together. “Everyone was eager and excited to help build,” said Kaci. “Our team was ready and prepared to start putting cans on the structure immediately, so we really moved quickly. I honestly thought it would take a lot longer than it did.” 

Supporting a Greater Cause

North Texas ranks fourth in the country for food insecurity, with roughly one in five children and one in four adults facing hunger in the region. Each year, CANstruction Dallas donates more than 100,000 cans to the North Texas Food Bank, with proceeds from voting adding even more support on top of that. 

For Toni, the event offers something beyond a typical donation drive. “It’s a fun way to bring attention to an important cause,” said Toni. “The mall is so busy all the time, so to have these structures make people stop and look, and realize what canned food can create and why, it’s just a more interactive way to bring attention to it.”