WOBURN, Mass.– It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s “FED Zeppelin”! This 2,460-pound airship was made entirely of canned goods, water bottles, and a few bags of rice by a team of colleagues from Woburn-based Cummings Properties. The unique sculpture won the People’s Choice Award from Canstruction Boston.
Canstruction is an annual charity event that brings together architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the greater Boston area to compete in building “can sculptures.” After the sculptures are dismantled, all the canned goods will be donated to Merrimack Valley Food Bank, in Lowell.
Cummings’ submission was built with 3,576 cans and bottles, and it is more than 6 feet tall and 8 feet long. A collaborative effort, FED Zeppelin was created by 22 employees who volunteered their time as well as their design and construction expertise.
After several weeks of planning and shopping, the team spent six hours building its sculpture on site at the BSA Space in Boston. FED Zeppelin and the 20 other Canstruction submissions will be on display there through the end of October.
“I am very proud of our team and the sculpture, but more importantly, grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in such an amazing charity event,” said Architectural Designer Mike Modoono, Cummings’ team captain. “It was incredible to be a part of the cross-departmental teamwork.”
Cummings also collaborated with Lucci’s Market. The Wilmington grocery store not only provided the canned goods at cost but also placed the order through its distributors and stored the products until “build day.”
“Lucci’s was an important part of the team,” said Modoono. “The whole crew was great to work with throughout the process.”
“Once Mike told us that the event benefitted a food pantry, we were all on board,” said general manager Scott Conrad. “It was a fantastic experience, and we would do it again in heartbeat.”
This year’s Canstruction Boston competition will result in more than 80,000 cans being donated to local families experiencing food insecurity.
FED Zeppelin Building Materials:
- Starkist Chunk Light, 2,016 cans, 5 oz.
- Poland Spring Water Bottle, 528 bottles, 16.9 oz.
- Starkist Solid White Tuna, 288 cans, 5 oz.
- Food Club Whole Kernel Corn, 240 cans, 15.25 oz.
- Le Sueur Whole Carrots, 180 cans, 15 oz.
- B&M Maple Baked Beans, 168 cans, 16 oz.
- Hunts Diced Tomatoes, 84 cans, 14.5 oz.
- Manwich Sloppy Joe Sauce, 72 cans, 15 oz.
