Students ‘can-struct’ locomotive from cans

PALMER — From a pile of food — cans, cereal boxes, and various and sundry non-perishables — a group of school kids built a Husky, a dog sled and a train Monday at Rusty’s at Dahlia Street.

By the time Saturday rolls around, theirs won’t be the only work of “can-struction” in the downtown area. Silver Tip Design, Midnight Sun Yoga, B Bella Hair Design, Active Soles Performance Footwear and probably a few more businesses intend to sculpt can creations of their own.

“People will be able to go to one of a number of different places to see these construction efforts,” said Denise Statz, owner of Non-Essentials in Palmer and one of the organizers behind Fighting Hunger, Feeding Hope.

The community-wide food drive culminates in this Saturday’s Second Saturday art walkabout in downtown, where visitors will be asked to vote for their favorite display.

As the can-struction work was under way, Academy Charter School teacher Stacy Molina, whose kids were putting the thing together, said that she started out with a goal of 200 cans and her kids laughed, knowing they could do a lot better than that. They’ve collected 2,000 items so far and are still at collecting.

“They wanted to show the community that a bunch of eighth graders can make a difference,” Molina said.

Statz, for one, said she is convinced.

“It’s a pretty miraculous effort those kids have put in,” she said.

So what’s the reason for all of this? Well, there’s a few.

“It’s people working together to do something for the benefit of everybody, really,” Statz said. “It benefits businesses to have people downtown. It benefits the community to have a walkabout.”

But, mostly, the idea is to help the Palmer Food Bank. Statz said it all started earlier this summer, in a conversation with Patti Dubler, she heard the Food Bank’s shelves were bare. She decided to do something at Non-Essentials.

“We got a cartful of stuff but there’s a constant need, just an enormous need for good-quality food supply for people that are on hard times,” Statz said.

So she and a group of organizers decided to do something bigger. Soon, more than 50 Palmer businesses had signed up, agreeing to host collection boxes.

To have a food drive now, especially a big one like this, is particularly appropriate since the Food Bank’s founding director is retiring after more than 35 years collecting and distributing food to his neighbors.

“We’re celebrating the lifetime achievement of Henry Guinotte,” Statz said.

In a letter, Linda Combs, long-time Palmerite and current city council member, wrote about the food bank’s origins 37-years ago. The food bank got its start under Guinotte’s leadership when he was pastor of the United Presbyterian Church.

Soon, they joined up with St. Michael’s Catholic Church down the block and before long it was an official Palmer Food Bank that by the 1980s had moved into its own downtown headquarters.

Statz said that a part of that Second Saturday event will honor Guinotte lifetime of helping others.

“Verda’s cakes and things is making cake for the community to share with Henry at Rusty’s at Dahlia Street,” she said.

Oh, and lest we forget, Second Saturday also features music at Vagabond Blues from Melissa Kaylor and Eve Anderson, Joseph Abruska, Iota and Suzy Crosby.

“We’re just asking that people come to Vagabond and bring a few cans or a couple of bucks, whatever they want to donate,” Statz said.

Contact reporter Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.