COMMUNITY
Got a competitive streak and a soft spot for your neighbors who go hungry? PensaCan 2026 wants you. It’s a build competition where teams stack, stagger and engineer full cans of food into towering sculptures, then donate every can to Manna Food Pantries once the show’s over.
- The event is presented by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) of Northwest Florida and hosted at Cordova Mall, with all proceeds and food benefiting Manna’s work across Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
Build teams can be made up of architectural or engineering firms, businesses, clubs, local organizations, students—basically anyone with a can-do attitude and a few dozen cans of green beans.
Here’s what you need to know:
- Register a build team at mannahelps.org/events/pensacan by September 10
- Most structures go up at Cordova Mall, in the common area between Dillard’s and Ross
- Can’t build on-site? Off-site or digital entries are welcome too—just get your images in by September 10
- Local celebrity judges will crown winners in categories like Best Graphics, Best Logo Sculpture, Best Nutrition, and Best Structural Ingenuity
- The public votes for the People’s Choice Award from October 2–9
Want to sponsor instead of build? Manna’s made that easy too.
Sponsorship tiers start at $200—enough for 120 meals—and go up to $1,000, which covers 600 meals for hungry families in our community. Sponsors can back a specific build team or the event as a whole, and every level comes with recognition on event signage at Cordova Mall Oct. 2–9, plus a spot on Manna’s event webpage.
Manna fed 71,005 people last year through its emergency pantry and 18 food security programs run with 27 community partners—all without national affiliation or government funding. PensaCan is one of the more fun ways the community pitches in.
- Register your team, sign up to sponsor, or just get more details at mannahelps.org/events/pensacan.