Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/287250
74 brava magazine | aPriL 2014 Get inVOlVed volunteer for mom, or organize colleagues to donate professional services, fi nancial support, events and grant sponsor- ship, or provide perishable items through a monthly food buyer's club. momhelps.org. GO+dO cataLyst nonPRoFiT nEEDS: MiDDLETon oUTREACh MiniSTRy fOOd mom provides food through several pantry services. its top 10 list includes pasta and canned fruits, meat, soup, spaghetti sauce, boxed meals, diapers, laundry detergent, paper towels and sugar. clOthinG + beddinG Donate gently used clothing and linens to help mom serve more than 1,200 people with free items each month. mom is always in need of gently used bedding. PhotograPheD by abigaiL smith canstructiOn madisOn buiLDing to enD hunger by amy carLson, nbc 15 news anchor IMAGINE A SANDCASTLE built with cans of baked beans, a genie constructed entirely of tuna cans or even a mov- ing roller coaster made from a variety of canned goods. It all becomes a reality at Canstruction Madison hosted by Mid- dleton Outreach Ministries (MOM). It takes a busy village, so to speak, to make the event happen. Teams comprised of school clubs, church groups and local businesses design, plan and build creative structures made of canned goods and packaged foods. School teams hold bake sales to raise money to purchase the cans for their creations. Local corporations donate the money for their teams to pur- chase their supplies. Other teams rely on community food drive donations. WTS Paradigm participates every year. Team member Abigail Smith says, "Our employees look forward to the event every year. It's cool to see how creative everyone is." Smith says construction ideas remain top secret until the build- ing begins. e competition is stiff, and the coveted trophies built of canned goods are award- ed May 1 for Most Nutritious Meal, Best Use of Labels, Structural Ingenuity and the People's Choice and, new this year, the Kid's Choice award category. So far, 18 teams have committed to building structures for this community competition to end hunger. e event is strategically held at the end of the school year when demand goes way up and the donation base goes down, according to MOM's Special Events Manager, Elaine Bogen. MOM serves 3,600 people a year, almost half of which are children. Un- fortunately, demand continues to grow. MOM serves all of Middleton, Cross Plains and the West Side of Madison. "MOM provides the basics, like food and clothing, so families can spend their money on rent," says Bogen. More than 825,000 pounds of food and 83,000 pounds of clothing were distributed last year. Last year's Canstruction Madison came in 7th internationally for all Canstruction events. is year's event has an Olympic theme. "We're going for the gold. We need to raise an additional 30,000 pounds of food to at least take the bronze interna- tionally," says Bogen. Following with the Olympic theme, Lindsay Tarpley, a two-time Olympic gold medal winner in soccer, will serve as the celebrity judge. You can still get involved in Canstruc- tion. It's never too late to form a team and start building. Or, simply attend the grand fi nale ursday, May 1 at Keva Sports Center to vote and bring canned food donations that help ensure children have food on their plates throughout summer. Canstruction Madison teams plan and build with canned goods to help end hunger locally. Cast your vote for favorite design May 1 at keva Sports Center in Middleton. BRAVA KIDS | Special Advertising Section