Once again, a statue made up entirely of food containers is gracing the lobby at Hollywood Casino. Babe the Blue Ox is helping kick off the United Way's Pantry Project.

The sculpture, created once again this year by artist Allison Strange, is made up almost entirely of tuna cans and coffee bags. The only other food on the bull are two bottles of Fanta orange soda that serve as the horns! This is the sixth year that the graduate of the Master of Fine Arts program in Intermedia from the University of Maine has assembled a holiday-themed Winter scene at Hollywood Casino, as a way to kick off the United Way's campaign.

Babe stands about four-and-a-half feet tall and is about six feet wide. The display includes about 1400 cans of tuna, about 30 coffee packs, and those two bottles of orange soda. It was decided to use the Blue Ox this year because of Bangor's bid to add a statue next to Paul Bunyan.

The Pantry Project is a collection campaign for area food pantries and soup kitchens. Participating businesses are given donor shelves that can be set up in their establishment, whether it's a retail store, doctor's office, or business office. All the donated goods are distributed to Maine's food insecure. For more information on the Pantry Project, log onto the United Way of Eastern Maine's website.

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