Scaling that up to feed thousands during the annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner at Fort Dodge Ford Lincoln Toyota — that dinner takes dozens of volunteers and more than just a few hours in the kitchen.

Iowa Central Community College Culinary Arts student Cas Butler, of Webster City, used to help her grandmother with making the meal.

Now she works on the scaled up version of that with her fellow students.

She’s been at for a while.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Some of the many guests at the annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner at Fort Dodge Ford Lincoln Toyota go through the food line Thursday.

“My first task was two and half weeks ago,” Butler said. “We made a hundred batches of pie dough, rolled it out by hand then began working on the pie filling.”

Diana Thompson, of Fort Dodge, was a first time volunteer Thursday.

“This is the first year we don’t have people at the house,” Thompson said.

In the past, her Thanksgiving dinners included a dozen to 30 people. She said she did most of the work over several days. She had a deep respect for the scaled up work.

“It’s amazing,” she said.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Olive Pirie, 2, of Des Moines got to go through the food line with her family Thursday during the annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner at Fort Dodge Ford Lincoln Toyota. She got to enjoy food from her parents plates once seated.

So just how scaled up is it?

Dealership co-owner Casey Johnson supplied a few statistics.

“They prepared 80 turkeys,” Johnson said. “We have 400 to-go meals here and another 1,100 at Iowa Central that will be delivered. We’re only going to do this for another 30 to 40 years.”

Kathy Trueblood, of Fort Dodge, was on the sixth year of cutting pie slices.

“This has been my job the whole time,” Trueblood said. “Every year I do this.”

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Diana Thompson, of Fort Dodge, helps carry in to-go meals Thursday morning during the annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner at Fort Dodge Ford Lincoln Toyota.

She’s never tried to calculate how many slices of pie she’s created over the years, her back of the pie tin estimate.

“I can guarantee it’s at least a thousand,” she said.

It’s also an interesting experience for another reason — her husband works in the parts department. Their counter is “Pie Central.”

“I don’t know if there’s a part number for pie,” she said. “I can call and ask. It’s probably under P.I.E.”

Audriana Pirie, of Des Moines attending the event to spend quality time with her family.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Kathy Trueblood, of Fort Dodge, works on cutting pie slices Thursday at the annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner at Fort Dodge Ford Lincoln Toyota. She’s volunteered at the event for the past six years.

She was enjoying not spending half a day in her kitchen preparing dinner.

“That includes making sure the cranberry has the proper can marks,” she joked.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Iowa Central Community College Culinary Arts program Cas Butler, of Webster City, got a short break Thursday morning while putting the perfect dollop of whipped cream on the pie slices at the annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner at Fort Dodge Ford Lincoln Toyota.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Tristen Jenkins, of Dayton, works on preparing cutlery Thursday at the annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner at Fort Dodge Ford Lincoln Toyota. Jenkins was one of dozens of volunteers who came to the event to help out.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Members of the Iowa Central Community College Culinary Arts program serve up Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings Thursday at the annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner at Fort Dodge Ford Lincoln Toyota.