Scotiabank Arena to become kitchen during pandemic
There might not be Toronto Raptors playoff games filling the Scotiabank Arena this summer, but that doesn't mean the nearly 20-thousand seat arena has to sit empty.
The arena will be turned into a massive kitchen, churning out 10,000 meals a day as part of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment's initiative to help battle the effects of COVID-19.
"Scotiabank Arena normally serves as a gathering place for fans to be entertained and cheer on their teams, but today, as the world deals with the overwhelming impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, our arena will serve as a place for people to come together and support our community when it is most in need," said Michael Friisdahl, President and CEO of MLSE in a statement released Friday. "In a time of crisis like we are experiencing, many different needs emerge, and we saw this as a chance to use our facilities and engage our people to serve our community. We are grateful to MLSE's employees, our teams through the Team Toronto Fund and the Maple Leafs Alumni for their donations and our generous partners for helping answer the call and providing the resources needed to fill an important need at this critical time."
It will take a few days to ramp-up production, but MLSE is expecting to have a team of 90 workers helping to produce food for Toronto's front-line workers. The team will work five days a week and the program is expected to run through June, making half a million meals.
"I want to thank MLSE and the other partners involved for stepping up and supporting our front-line healthcare workers, their families and community organizations across the city. This is a great initiative by a great organization that is a dedicated member of the Toronto community," Toronto Mayor John Tory said.
