Photo by Mike Lamb Community dinner volunteer Corey Prins hands over to-go containers to somebody in a vehicle parked in a line outside Grace Life Church in Marshall on Thanksgiving Day

MARSHALL — Teri Hively was dealing with a new factor when she started planning for hundreds of Thanksgiving meals to go during a pandemic.

“I do a lot of factoring into it. I factor what the economy is doing at the time. That’s why I anticipated this year was going to be bigger. With COVID I knew the need was there,” Hively said.

About 75 volunteers worked in assembly lines and deliveries between 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Grace Life Church on College Drive Thursday during the 30th community dinner. Volunteers worked feverishly in an assembly line inside the cafeteria located in the basement of the church to mix turkey meat, mash potatoes, and put stuffing and vegetables in containers. More volunteers put desserts in containers.

Other volunteers rushed the containers up to back door of the building, while others took those containers to people waiting in vehicles parked in organized lines in the parking lot. More vehicles waited along High Street all the way past North Fourth Street.

Just before noon the vehicles kept coming, so two lines were formed, one for pre-orders. Hively said 620 pre-orders were taken before Thursday.

“It’s amazing, Hively said. “I was just praying for food to multiply right now. I was figuring in my mind around 900 to 1,000 (meals). I think we are going to do that.”

“I got goosebumps today. It’s just awesome. A good feeling.”