Preparations for St. Scholastica Thanksgiving Buffet underway

DULUTH, MN. (Northern News Now) - Turkey is back on the menu this year for the annual Thanksgiving buffet at the DECC.

The free buffet for people in need of a hot meal on the holiday will feature turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, vegetables, rolls, and a themed dessert.

Each year, thousands of meals are served to Northlanders for the holiday.

Last year, the team had to swap out turkey for ham, due to increased turkey prices.

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“This year, we’re adding another component, we are frying turkey kind of as a new test,” Monica Hendrickson, the organizer behind the Thanksgiving buffet, said. “We had some donated turkeys that came in and the Coast Guard asked if we could do something different and we said sure, why not?”

The fried turkeys will be used in to-go style lunches for people who want seconds after having a plate of food at the buffet.

In 2022, about 3,000 meals were served to Northlanders, and this year, Hendrickson said they have about 7,000 prepared.

While the food is important, she said the people make the meal special.

“We have so much fun, we’re a dysfunctional family like every holiday,” she said. “We just have a lot of fun and the community is amazing.”

The College of St. Scholastica will host the annual Thanksgiving Buffet in the Lake Superior Ballroom at the DECC.

The buffet runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

All meals and parking at the DECC are free to the public.

For more information, you can visit their website here.

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