MARSHFIELD — The United Way’s annual “United We Can” food-sculpture competition is returning, with 12 teams set to build nonperishable food displays and the public invited to vote online, according to event organizer Jenny.
United We Can is a community event in which local businesses and organizations collect food and create sculptures from canned and boxed items, Jenny said in an interview. Past entries have included designs such as a fox made from cans of beans, an American flag and a lighthouse.
The competition includes multiple award categories based on the number of items used in each display, including categories for sculptures made with 250 cans or more and 249 or fewer items, she said. Fan favorites are selected through voting on the local United Way Facebook page.
Jenny said this year’s event features a mix of returning champions and new teams.
Public voting begins at noon March 11 and closes at noon March 16 on the United Way Facebook page, she said. A thumbs-up reaction counts as one point, and a heart reaction counts as two points. Voters may vote on as many sculptures as they want, but each reaction type can be used only once per sculpture.
Organizers are also encouraging community members to support participating teams by donating items from the event’s needs list. Among the most-needed items are canned fruit, canned vegetables, canned soup, flour, sugar, dry beans, cereal, mayonnaise, granola bars, baked beans