With just a week to go before the Aydlett brothers set the first Tower for Humanity blocks down in the center court of the Agana Shopping Center, there is still time for organizations to support their islandwide canned food drive to feed children in need. 

For the third year in a row, twin meteorologists Landon and Brandon Aydlett are sponsoring the Canstruction competition and islandwide food drive with local nonprofit BeHeartfelt. The charitable campaign is part of the Aydletts’ Tower for Humanity project, which they debuted in June 2022 at the Agana Shopping Center in a successful bid to set two Guinness World Records. 

This year, they’ll begin construction Sept. 24 on one of their most complex builds: the One Za’abeel Tower, a building comprising two towers connected by a 754-foot horizontal structure that includes a 216-foot cantilevered section.   

So far, 13 teams have signed up to participate in the food drive. The teams include local schools, a Girl Scout team, and several businesses including Costco, which “is the third year they have been a powerhouse, supporting the BeHeartfelt effort and feeding children in need,” said Landon, warning coordination meteorologist for National Weather Service Guam. 

“Our goal is 25,000 cans of food, and that's just a small fraction of what it takes to sustain 350-plus kids for a whole year,” he said. “But I think as we go into the season of giving, September is Hunger Action Month, and so, think of what you can do to support the community.” 

Groups and businesses that want to participate in Canstruction can do so until Oct. 3, which is the date to drop off canned goods to set up for the competition. Each team  will build their own structure on Oct. 4, and voting will take place on Oct. 5. Prizes will be awarded for best design, most public votes, and the most canned goods collected.   

Other organizations and businesses have also signed up to serve as standalone drop-off sites, including all the mayors’ offices, according to a Sept. 16 Facebook post by BeHeartfelt.  “We're seeing such an outpouring of support and care for the community, especially as we go into our third annual Cans for Humanity competition,” Landon said. 

Brandon, science and operations officer at NWS Guam, encourages groups that are interested in participating to register now. “The earlier you can do it, the more likely you can definitely get your company, your team, listed on some of the flyers and the social media pages.” 

As the Canstruction teams focus on collecting the canned fruits, vegetables, soups and meats that will help feed hungry kids, the Aydletts are still working on the more complicated engineering required for this year’s  One Za’abeel Tower, particularly the cantilever structure. 

“We wanted to figure out how we can balance that out properly because we have two towers and then we’re going to have a horizontal structure connected between the towers. It’s going to look like it’s levitating but balanced,” Landon said.

"I do need a five- or six-hour break in a day to run the numbers and figure out how we’re going to block and strategize the tower," he explained, noting the importance of ensuring they have enough blocks to reach the planned heights for both towers and use their entire inventory efficiently.

They plan to move the blocks on Saturday to the shopping center, where they’ll be accepting help with pre-construction activities. “While volunteers are going to be sorting out the blocks, I’ll be running the numbers and building out the strategy,” Landon said.

Once the build begins on Sept. 24, anyone can stop by center court to volunteer, donate canned goods, or make a financial donation. In exchange, donors will receive blocks they can decorate, and those personalized blocks will become part of the final structure.

For those who are not on island or who can't make it in person, there's an option to donate online — information on how to do it will be shared on BeHeartfelt’s Facebook page. Donors can leave a note with their online contribution to have a block decorated in their honor.

While all donations are welcome, donors with bigger donations will get larger blocks to decorate — “and those are the real key blocks for keeping the structure secure,” Brandon said. 

The entire event is free and open to the public. "It's a great thing to work on for parents with children," Brandon said, suggesting that families with young children should guide them in the process. He added that his wife, Shirley, will set up a play area with extra blocks for children who prefer to play rather than participate in the structured build.

With the event just around the corner, excitement is building.

"We're ready to roll," Brandon said. "We can't wait to see October 3 come around, and the Agana Shopping Center is going to be a buzz of activity with a lot of food donations."

Tower for Humanity Facebook page

BeHeartfelt Facebook page

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