KNOXVILLE — ‘Tis the season for Knoxville Holiday Canstruction. Hosted by Messer Construction Co. and benefiting Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee, Canstruction is an innovative art exhibition with a serious purpose — fighting hunger.

“This event has become such a special way for us to join together with our building industry partners to fight hunger during the holiday season,” said Randy Fields, business development executive for Messer. “Messer is dedicated to investing in our community and making a positive impact in the place we live and work. We look forward to Canstruction each year, as it aids our team building efforts and serves as a way to give back to our community.”

On Monday, Nov. 21 local teams of architects, engineers, construction companies and other organizations designed and constructed large holiday-themed art sculptures made of canned food items. Structures are now on display and open to the public through Thursday, Dec. 2 at the Knoxville Convention Center.

“The holidays are a truly magical time, but many families are struggling to put food on the table and celebrate the season,” said Elaine Streno, executive director of Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee. “We are so grateful for this event because it allows us to help more families in our community throughout the holiday season. The donation from Holiday Canstruction helps raise our inventory and ensure we are able to provide holiday meals to hungry families in our 18-county service area in East Tennessee.”

Second Harvest secures and distributes more than 16 million pounds of food and grocery products annually and is a partner with Feeding America, a national network of food banks. In three years, Knoxville Holiday Canstruction has donated more than 61,000 canned food items to Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee and plans to surpass 50,000 cans donated in 2016.

For more information about Canstruction, visit facebook.com/knoxcan.

Messer Construction Co. is a construction manager and general contractor, providing leadership for complex, commercial construction projects in the health care, higher education, life sciences and industrial market segments. An employee-owned company, Messer’s transformational investment in its people, communities and innovative building solutions has enhanced the landscape of the nine regions throughout the Midwest and Southeast in which its employees live and work. A local builder with national resources and expertise, the company has delivered value for more than 80 years through quality construction and client experiences, taking care to both exceed customer expectations and build long-term relationships.