Preparations underway for the 23rd annual Twin Ports Thanksgiving Buffet

DULUTH, MN -The 23rd annual free Twin Ports Thanksgiving Buffet, produced by Twin Ports community volunteers and The College of St. Scholastica, will be served from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 22, at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center (DECC).  

Turkey dinner with all the trimmings will be provided free of charge serving an estimated 5,000 meals at the DECC and 1,000 meal to home-bound residents who are in need or would otherwise be alone on the holiday. Everyone is welcome.

Homebound persons in the Duluth-Superior area who would like to request a home delivery meal should call (218) 723-6484 by Friday, Nov. 16, to request delivery.

A buffet also will be available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Cloquet at the Zion Lutheran Church, 1000 Washington Ave, and for the first time in Carlton from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Streetcar Kitchen, 232 Chestnut Avenue. Home-bound residents in Cloquet, Carlton and the surrounding area who would like to request home-delivered meals are invited to call (218) 879-9238.

Twin Ports Thanksgiving Buffet senior chair Roz Randorf of the Duluth News Tribune announced that the DTA bus service will be free as in years past, thanks to the DTA and a generous donation from a local business sponsor. The bus service will stop at the Holiday Center and diners will take a shuttle from there to the DECC.
Musical entertainment will be part of the day's events in both Duluth and Cloquet. Santa will also be visiting.
Several volunteer shifts are filled for the Duluth event, however some open shifts remain. Volunteers are invited to sign up online at www.css.edu/thanksgiving.xml or call the volunteer phone line at (218) 723-6774.

In Cloquet, call Volunteer Services of Carlton County at (218) 879-9238 to volunteer for shifts on Wednesday (food preparation and set-up) and Thursday (food preparation, transportation, service and clean-up).
Monetary donations are welcome. Please send to: The College of St. Scholastica, attention: Thanksgiving Buffet Fund, 1200 Kenwood Ave., Duluth, MN 55811.
DTA BUS SERVICE

The media are invited to photograph volunteers preparing the 23rd Annual Thanksgiving Buffet in the DECC kitchen on Monday, Nov 19, Tuesday, Nov 20, and Wednesday, Nov 21. Check in at the DECC kitchen. Food preparation will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday and 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. Media coverage will help raise awareness of the dinner among people in need in Duluth, Superior, Cloquet and Carlton.  

On the day of the Buffet, broadcast and print photographers will be allowed to film in the main serving area (Fitzgerald Hall) and the DECC foyer, where Santa and musicians will be located. Out of respect for the privacy of diners, photographers will be asked not to film in any of the three dining halls.

Free transportation will be provided to and from the Buffet at the DECC, with a stop at the Holiday Center and shuttles from there. Continuous bus transportation will be available throughout the day from 24th Avenue East to 57th Ave West. Call 722-SAVE (722-7283) for times or check the bus schedules at the following pickup sites:
Duluth:                                        Superior:
Damiano Center                                Peter Rich Center
Chum Drop-In Center                      Royalton Manor
YWCA                                                   Clifford Lund Apartments
Harbor Highlands                             Solid Rock Mission
Tri-Towers Apartments                   14th and Tower
Morgan Park                                        Phoenix Villa

Thanksgiving Buffet food facts:
(Number based on 5,000 meals)
-1,800 pounds of roasted turkey
-2,000 pounds of potatoes (peeled, boiled and mashed)
-700 pounds of locally grown squash
-6,000 dinner rolls
-450 pounds of each: carrots, green beans and cranberries
-150 gallons of gravy