Building Hope,
One Can at a Time
Let’s Build Something Amazing Together
Cans for Hope: Turn generosity into something you can see, build and share.
Cans for Hope puts a creative twist on the traditional canned-food drive. We’re inviting churches, businesses, schools and groups of friends to collect canned goods — and then turn them into imaginative sculptures!
After your sculpture is complete, every can will become part of Rockford Rescue Mission’s food supply. Our goal is to collect cans from more than 30 teams, helping provide the more than 330 hot, nutritious meals we serve each day to our guests and residents.
So unleash your inner artists and let’s get started!
What Is Cans For Hope?
Cans for Hope challenges teams to turn canned food into creative sculptures while making a meaningful difference at Rockford Rescue Mission. Every can collected contributes to the more than 330 meals we serve each day to people in need.
How it works:
1. Form a Team
Gather your church, business, school or group. Choose a leader and get your team registered. After you register, a Mission staff member will contact you to help with the remaining forms and next steps.
2. Collect Cans
Gather canned food through your team, host a food drive … or do both! Meantime, start planning your sculpture and let others know about it. When collecting cans, consider choosing fruits, vegetables and meats that will help stock our food supply after the competition.
3. Build Your Sculpture
Build your sculpture wherever works best for your team. Put your creativity to work and transform your cans into an imaginative sculpture, with cans making up the majority of the piece. (Suggested building time is after registration, Jan. 4-March 1)
4. Submit Your Build
Photograph your completed sculpture and submit photos with the form by the competition deadline (March 1).
5. Deliver the Cans to the Mission
715 W State St., Rockford IL, 61102
Event Schedule
Registration Deadline: January 25
Competition Deadline: March 1
Award Announcements: March 10
The Competition
We’ll give awards for:
Most Cans: The structure made with the largest number of cans.
Most Creative: The most original structure, considering its design, imagery and use of can labels.
Fan Favorite: The team that receives the most votes by Rockford Rescue Mission residents and staff.
Winning teams will be invited to tour Rockford Rescue Mission and attend a special awards ceremony where they will receive a trophy.
Before You Build
Your sculpture must be made primarily from full, unopened, nonperishable canned food with labels intact and unaltered.
A few things to know:
- You’ll form a team, collect canned food, build a sculpture and photograph it for judging. Then deliver the cans to the Mission.
- When your team registers, each participant must complete an individual liability waiver.
- Review event guidelines carefully.
Ready to Build?
Gather your team, sign up, start collecting cans and get creative. Your sculpture could take home a trophy, but every can you collect will help provide meals at Rockford Rescue Mission.
Questions? 815-965-5332 or info@rockfordrescuemission.org