Press Release: DECC Makes Substantial Food Donation Posted on October 6, 2020 by Renae Matt For more information, contact: DECC Interim Executive Director, Roger Reinert at rreinert@decc.org or 218-623-1201 DECC Makes Substantial Food Donation Duluth, MN (October 6, 2020) – The Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC) has seen a very different event lineup in 2020. In place of concerts, conventions, weddings, and hockey games, the last six months have seen empty arenas, open ballrooms, and minimal staff. Due to this decline in events the DECC had a large amount of unused food inventory nearing expiration. Roger Reinert, DECC Interim Executive Director, said, “We had freezers and pantries with food items that are needed in the community. It’s clear we won’t be resuming full operations like we were before the pandemic, and things will look different in the coming months. We saw this as a perfect opportunity to take a not great situation for the DECC and turn it into a needed gift to others.” The Food Resource Developer, Katie Bull, at Second Harvest Northern Lakes Food Bank said, “The DECC has been a long-time partner of our food bank, providing an average of 15,000 meals per year through their donations. While we are saddened that the DECC is not able to operate as normal during the pandemic, we are grateful that they chose to use their excess inventory to assist our northland neighbors in need.” Eight hundred forty pounds of food was donated to Second Harvest on Thursday, October 1st. This equates to approximately 672 meals. Roger Reinert added, “While the DECC’s current situation is difficult, it’s also a great opportunity for us to reset, get creative, and brainstorm ways we can help our guests plan safe and fun events. It’s not where we expected to be, but we remain committed to ensuring the DECC survives the pandemic.” # # # The Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center (DECC) is a publicly-owned multi-use facility located on the beautiful shores of Lake Superior in Duluth, Minnesota. The DECC offers 800,000 square feet of indoor space and is open for public gatherings and events of up to 250 people. The DECC is actively working with State leaders to develop flexible maximum capacity guidelines based on maximum seating, entries, exits, bathrooms, and HVAC/air filtration capacity.
