DECC Thanksgiving meals will again be picked up or delivered

As you plan your Thanksgiving dinner, don’t plan to eat at the DECC.

Once again, the College of St. Scholastica has opted not to host the big community feast there. Instead, meals will be packaged and either picked up or delivered.

Event organizer Monica Hendrickson said as always, the focus is on making sure that people who are homeless or homebound are fed. But this year, they also added six satellite locations for people with the means to pick up a hot meal.

"The goal is for people to go to those satellite locations, pick up a meal that’s already prepared," she said. "If you have a family of four, you can pick up four meals. If you have a family of 10, you can pick up 10 meals."

The six locations are:

• Duluth Harbor Mission
• Damiano Center
• Volunteer Services of Carlton County
• Mission Creek Church
• First United Methodist Church
• Peace in Christ Church

Meals will be served on a first come, first served basis between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.

People who need up to two meals delivered have to sign up by noon this Friday, Nov. 19. Call (218) 723-6484 to get on the list.

They ask only people who are truly homebound request delivery.

"This is our family. This is our Thanksgiving family," Hendrickson said. "And we’re all coming back and figuring out how we have to maneuver this year and make it happen."

Food will still be prepared at the DECC, and UPS will help get it to the satellite locations. Volunteers from the 148th and Mayo Ambulance do the bulk of the home deliveries.

Volunteer shifts are mostly full, although there is a waitlist going in case anyone gets sick. Hendrickson said what they could really use are donations.

"Our food costs are much higher this year. Everyone that goes to a grocery store, they know that the food costs are higher," she said. "So every $5, $10, $20 helps."