News & Events

Meet Harold the Hippo: Designing to Fight Hunger

Written by Angela Hearn | Aug 11, 2026

GLENDALE, Arizona – DBSI is proud to participate in the 19th Annual CANstruction event benefiting St. Mary's Food Bank.

At DBSI, we believe great design can make an impact, and sometimes, it can even help fight hunger.

This year, our team put our creativity and construction skills to work for a different kind of project: Harold the Hippo, DBSI’s entry in the 19th Annual CANstruction event benefiting St. Mary’s Food Bank.

CANstruction brings together teams from across the architecture, design, engineering, and construction industries to turn canned food into larger-than-life creations. At the end of the competition, the cans are donated to St. Mary’s Food Bank to help fight hunger across Arizona.

Creativity For a Cause

For our team, CANstruction was an opportunity to do what we do best: think differently, collaborate, solve challenges, and bring an idea to life.

"CANstruction gave our team the chance to have some fun with what we do best while supporting an incredible cause. Seeing Harold come to life was a true team effort, and knowing every can will ultimately help someone in our community makes it even more meaningful.” - Amanda Farmer, Head of Equipment & Service, DBSI

Help Harold Bring Home People’s Choice 

Harold is officially in the running for the People’s Choice Award, and we need your help! Every $1 donated counts as one vote for DBSI, with all proceeds benefiting St. Mary’s Food Bank.

 

You can also see Harold in person alongside all 10 CANstruction creations at Arrowhead Mall through August 22. 

Built With a Little Help From Our Friends 

A big idea takes a great team. Thank you to our generous sponsors who helped bring Harold to life: Design Drywall West, OneAZ Credit Union, Transact Commercial Interiors, Robert Brown Architects, Acosta Electric, Milliken Commercial, MDC Interior Solutions, Diversified Wallcovering, TetraLink, and Canyon Floors.

We’re proud of our team, grateful for our partners, and excited to put our creativity to work for a cause that matters.