DULUTH, MN - Organizers of the 16th annual Twin Ports Thanksgiving Buffet, sponsored by The College of St. Scholastica and the Twin Ports community, are asking for the media's help.

"This year we have the capacity to bring more food to the less fortunate and triple the number of home-delivered meals to 1,000," said Jack Teske, Food Service operations manager at St. Scholastica, who has been in charge of preparing the Buffet since 1998. "But we have to get the word out to people so they can call and request home delivery."

Persons interested in requesting home-delivered meals should call 723-6484 by Friday, Nov. 18.

The Buffet will be offered from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 24, at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center (DECC). At the DECC, turkey dinner with all the trimmings is provided free of charge to about 2,000 people in need and those who might otherwise be alone on the holiday.

The home-delivered meals are in addition to that figure.

Volunteer drivers, who use their own vehicles, are ready. Off-duty paramedics and managers from Gold Cross Ambulance again will deliver meals. Eight Gold Cross employees have been volunteering since 1995 and 10 new volunteers have come on board this year, said Lisa Vogel, administrative/education assistant at Gold Cross.

Also new this year are volunteers from the 148th Fighter Wing of the Minnesota Air National Guard. About 20 Airmen will be delivering meals, said Capt. Chris Cloutier, community manager for the 148th.

They arrive at the DECC on Thanksgiving morning and load up to 40 meals each. One meal consists of three packs: a turkey/potatoes/veggie pack for reheating; a cold pack with salad, desserts and a roll; and a pack just for pie.

"It's nice because we see a lot of these (homebound) people year after year. They're very grateful and happy to see us come, and we're happy to do it," Vogel said. "A lot of us bring our kids, so the whole family gets involved. It's a learning experience for our kids, who see how other people really live and how some just don't have any family. It really makes our Thanksgiving meaningful."