Troy University’s Office of Civic Engagement recently hosted its annual Can Castle contest to help fight food insecurity.

The contest collects food cans for the campus’ Backpacks for Kids program that helps feed local children around Pike County for several months.

Each participating organization creates a castle out of the cans the group has collected.

“We feel it’s extremely important to bring awareness to these issues for our students and encourage their involvement in the community,” Lauren Cochran, the Coordinator of the Office of Civic Engagement, said. “This is one of the ways we promote active citizenship with our students and help them build civic skills that will keep them engaged beyond their time at TROY.”

This year, the contest brought in over 7,000 items.

Cochran hopes that students carry the purpose of the event over into their personal lives.

“We hope to provide opportunities for students to use the knowledge and skills acquired in the classroom to address real world issues,” Cochran said.

Troy University’s Phi Mu and Baptist Campus Ministries were awarded best can castle, and Kappa Delta collected the most cans overall.