Mr. Stay Puft would have felt right at home, as the Knox College chapter of Habitat for Humanity sponsored a contest this week to see which team of students could build the tallest structure, using only marshmallows and toothpicks.

"In the past we had a hammering contest, 'Who Bangs the Most.' This year, we wanted to make it more interesting. We sat down as a group and decided [on a contest] to see who could build the tallest tower using just marshmallows and toothpicks," said club president Swechhya Rajbhandary, a sophomore who came to Knox from Rato Bangala School in Nepal.

Two teams won bags of dorm food, as their towers tied at just under the height of the front page of The Knox Student, which was used to both measure and record the results. With a turn-out of more than 20 students on ten teams, Rajbhandary deems the contest a success in promoting their volunteer community service organization.

"We work with the local Habitat group in Galesburg every Saturday. We get to meet people in Galesburg, and it's super-fun to build houses!"

Habitat for Humanity has built more than 300,000 homes for low-income family housing worldwide, and repaired that many more. The Knox College chapter was launched in 1996 and has participated in more than 40 home construction projects directed by Habitat for Humanity of Knox County. The College chapter has received a grant from Habitat for Humanity International that enabled the students to serve as the sole sponsor of a house built in Galesburg, and the club regularly sends groups of students to Habitat projects around the country during spring break.

Knox College Habitat for Humanity marshmallow tower contest. Photos by Peter Bailley.