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Partnership Helps to Promote Youth Structure Building Competition in the Community

Feb 02, 2018 • by VOiCEup Berks
VOiCEup Berks

Reading, PA –Youth Volunteer Corps (YVC) of Reading is partnering with Performance Toyota to bring the first annual YVC Canstructure event, a structure building competition to fight hunger, to Berks County this spring. Teams of youth throughout Berks County, mentored by artists, architects, engineers, or contractors will compete in a contest to build incredible designs made entirely from cans of food collected during food drives over the next two months. The structures will be built on the morning of April 21, 2018 on the Albright College campus. Following the competition, all canned food will be donated to the Greater Berks Food Bank.

Performance Toyota of Sinking Spring is the title sponsor for the event and is engaging the community through an employee- and customer-wide canned food drive throughout the month of February. The project is part of Performance Toyota’s corporate culture of encouraging employee volunteerism and giving back to the community. Karen Linder, Performance Toyota Charitable Giving Coordinator, said “We are proud to partner with Youth Volunteer Corps of Reading in their food drive for Canstructure and are excited to see the sculptures students create with the canned goods they collect.  It’s a win-win community service project that fosters important skills in our youth and helps to fight hunger at the same time.  How could we pass that up?”

Youth Volunteer Corps of Reading is a program of VOiCEup Berks, a local nonprofit dedicated to connecting people with meaningful volunteer opportunities in Berks County. “Performance Toyota has been a fantastic partner for this event. Their canned food drive is a great way to raise awareness about food scarcity and to collect cans that will supplement youth teams that may have difficulty with food drives in their community. We are excited to partner with such a civic minded organization.” Said Christi Terefenko, Executive Director for VOiCEup Berks.

For more information on the Canstructure Competition or how to enter a team, please contact [email protected].

VOiCEup Berks, a fund of Berks County Community Foundation and an affiliate of Youth Volunteer Corps, is a local organization dedicated to connecting all sectors of Berks County to volunteer opportunities through service learning. Formed in 2015, VOiCEup is the collaborative effort of a group of experienced volunteers who are committed to the power of service.  

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