At Pickering Associates, giving back to the community is a core value, and for the last five years our team has been involved with the Canstruction Project in Charleston WV. Canstruction is an international initiative that originated in 1992 and has raised over 20 million pounds of food worldwide, with building competitions held in over 150 cities annually. Pickering was able to team up with students from South Charleston High School to develop a Wizard of Oz themed structure, “Let’s Drop a House on Hunger.” The structure was made with 4,436 cans of food, which equals 4,027 pounds of food that was donated to the Covenant House’s Food Pantry. According to Angie Douglas, of the Covenant House, “Pickering’s structure, alone, will provide over 4,700 meals to those in need.” The entire event was able to donate a total of 16,908 cans, which equals 15,871 pounds of food, providing 19,050 meals to the less fortunate in the community. The Covenant House Food Pantry in Charleston serves over 14,000 families in our community.

Each year Pickering raises money from sponsors to help pay for the cans of food that are used in creating the structure. This year’s sponsors included – Pickering Energy Solutions, Tri-State Roofing & Sheet Metal, Hall Financial Advisors, Allegion, Grae-Con Construction, Parkersburg-Marietta Contractors Association, LaFace & McGovern Associates, Kanawha Valley Builder’s Association, Camden Clark Medical Center-WVU Medicine, Aldi’s, BBL-Carlton, Herman Eye Center, Steve and Margaret Ann Santmyer, Dave Fleming of Greenleaf Landscaping, and Keith Smith with EXPN.

This year Pickering Associates was honored to received three awards: People’s Choice Award, Best Original Design, and Most Cans. Moreover, the structure that receives the People’s Choice Award is nominated for an international vote that will take place next February. We are excited to receive such honors and anxiously await the results from the international vote. Our team is always working to serve the communities in which we live and work, and we look forward to participating in this initiative again next year. Many thanks to all who were able to participate in this event and to all our sponsors who made the event possible!