However, obstacles that couldn’t be avoided got in the way of the event this year. As the coronavirus continues to defy containment and spread at unpredictable rates, the management of Arnold Sports Festival decided it was best to keep spectators out of the crowded arenas this year.
But that left them with one problem: what were they to do with all of the food that had already been prepared? Enough food to feed the 200,000 people expected to show up would be on its way to waste if they didn’t come up with an alternative solution. Well, fortunately, one kind-hearted soul had an inspiring idea…
Instead of throwing it away, the festival decided to offer the meals up to those in need: first to the tornado victims in Nashville, and then to the first responders who were helping them and others in nearby places suffering from a turmoil.
Molly Dale, the general manager for the Greater Columbus Convention Center’s food service provider Levy who had been in charge of the festival’s culinary project, said in a statement: “We wanted something positive to happen to the food that could not be repurposed.”
On Saturday, a refrigerated truck carrying all of the goods made its way from the Greater Columbus Convention Center to the Nissan Stadium, where the Tennessee Titans play, according to a news release.
The menu included chicken salad and egg salad sandwiches, pasta, mixed green salad, fruit, yogurt, a vegetable medley, brown rice, potato chips, and bottled water.
