Chrysler Canada: Ram Truck, The Chrysler Foundation and Canstruction^® Turn Cow Town Into ‘Can’ Town During 2014 Calgary Stampede

July 10, 2014 , Calgary, Alberta -  Alberta is not only Canada’s pickup truck heartland, but also a province that has truly embraced Chrysler’s award-winning product lineup. Last year, one in every five vehicles sold in the Wild Rose province came from Chrysler Canada, with Ram Truck in particular playing a pivotal role in achieving the automaker’s number-one sales position inter-provincially. In fact, with retail sales up by 3,847 units over 2012, Ram Truck earned the title of, “Fastest-Growing Truck Brand in Alberta.”

As a way of saying thank you to Albertans for that support, Ram Truck and The Chrysler Foundation have partnered with Canstruction^® to build a life-size replica of Canada’s longest-lasting, best-selling and most capable heavy-duty pickup at the Stephen Avenue Walk in Downtown Calgary during the city’s famed Stampede.
 
This very special 2014 Ram 3500 “Dually” is made entirely out of 25,000 canned and packaged food products, including tomato sauce, refried green and maple style beans, sardines and sliced olives. The design was spearheaded by Canstruction an international organization dedicated to raising awareness for hunger and poverty issues, while also shedding light on the importance of science, technology, engineering and math principals as well as community service.
 
More than 30 local high school and university students, ages 14 to 18 years old, plus Chrysler Canada employees, volunteered more than 10 hours with a “can do^®” spirit to build the sculpture, which is on display July 9-13, 2014, including construction and dismantling.
 
The 25,000 cans of food equate to 10,631 kilograms (23,370 pounds) and will provide 19,500 meals to those in need. In other words, enough cans will be used to fill more than six of the chuck wagon boxes racing at this year’s Calgary Stampede.
 
Once dismantled, the food products will be donated to the Calgary Food Bank, which supplies supplemental banks and meal programs across the city. This donation will sustain eight different food hamper and distribution programs for people who rely daily on local food banks. According to the Calgary Food Bank, 129,948 families and individuals used the area food banks last year. That would equal 7,569,380 kg (16,687,615 lbs.) of food, which is enough to fill almost 209 18-wheeler transport trucks.  

"This project provides us with a wonderful opportunity to give back to a community that has helped propel Ram Truck’s success in Canada over the years,” said Reid Bigland, President and CEO, Chrysler Canada. “With the generous help of The Chrysler Foundation along with Canstruction and the Calgary Food Bank, we’re proud to showcase a fun way for students to incorporate science, technology, engineering and math skills with the creation of this life-size Ram 3500 Heavy Duty truck structure. On top of that, these cans will go a long way to help fight hunger for those in need throughout Calgary.”

“Canstruction is honoured to again be partnered with The Chrysler Foundation,” said Nicole Zimmermann, program coordinator for Canstruction. “This initiative with the life-sized Ram truck is not only drawing in people who’ve probably never seen this many cans of food in one place before, but more importantly, it’s raising hunger awareness in the local Calgary area and beyond.” 

This is the second Canstruction build undertaken by The Chrysler Foundation.  To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Chrysler and Dodge minivans, a life-size Dodge Grand Caravan Canstruction project was built in October 2013 at Yonge/Dundas Square in Toronto, Ontario.  This build required 30,000 cans and 30 volunteers working more than 10 hours to complete.     
 
About Ram Truck
The Ram Truck brand continues to establish its own identity and clearly define its customer since its launch as a standalone vehicle brand. Creating a distinct brand for Ram trucks has allowed the brand to concentrate on how core customers use their trucks and what new features they'd like to see. Whether focusing on a family that uses its half-ton truck day in and day out, a hard-working Ram Heavy Duty owner or a business that depends on its commercial vehicles every day, Ram has the truck market covered.
 
Canada’s longest-lasting line of pickups, Ram Truck includes the most capable heavy-duty pickups in the segment, with a list of best-in-class titles such as:

• Towing – Up to 16,608 kg (30,000 lbs.) with Ram 3500
• ¾ Ton Towing – 8,078 kg (17,810 lbs.) with Ram 2500
• Payload – Up to 3,320 kg (7,320 lbs.) with Ram 3500
• Torque – 850 lb.-ft. with the 6.7- litre Cummins Turbo Diesel
• Horsepower - 410 hp and 429 lb.-ft. of torque with the 6.4-litre HEMI^® V8
• Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR) of 17,055 kg (37,600 lbs.) with Ram 3500

About The Chrysler Foundation
The Chrysler Foundation, the charitable arm of Chrysler Group LLC, has established a proud legacy of empowering people and investing in local communities. The Chrysler Foundation focuses its support on four key areas: Education: K-12 and post-secondary education initiatives that encourage the study and pursuit of careers in business, design, science, technology, engineering, mathematics or supply-chain management; Military: support for the nation’s service members and their families in need; Multicultural / Diversity: initiatives that promote inclusion and advancement opportunities for diverse populations; and Youth Development: organizations and programs that provide mentoring and related assistance to aid youth in the transition to adulthood.

Since its inception in 1953, The Chrysler Foundation has awarded more than $500 million in charitable grants.

About Canstruction Inc.
Canstruction Inc. is a nonprofit charity founded in 1992 and headquartered in Atlanta, GA, USA. Events are hosted around the world to help raise awareness of hunger issues through the creation of structures made entirely out of canned food. Canstruction Inc. focuses on promoting basic math and advanced Science, Technology, Engineering and Math principals while instilling the importance of community service in children. Canstruction has help to donate over 25 million pounds of food since 1992 in over 150 cities around the world. To learn more visit www.canstruction.org.
 
FCA Canada
Founded as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925, FCA Canada Inc. is based in Windsor, Ontario, and celebrates its 97th anniversary in 2022. FCA Canada is a wholly owned subsidiary of FCA, a North American automaker based in Auburn Hills, Michigan and member of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA) family of companies. FCA Canada has approximately 440 dealers that sell Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep®, Ram, FIAT and Alfa Romeo products, as well as SRT performance products. The company also distributes Mopar and Alfa Romeo parts and accessories. In addition to its assembly facilities, which produce the Chrysler Pacifica, Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, Chrysler Voyager and Chrysler Grand Caravan (Windsor) and Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger and Dodge Challenger (Brampton), FCA Canada operates an aluminum casting plant in Etobicoke, a research and development centre in Windsor, and has sales offices and parts distribution centers throughout the country.