400 pounds of turkey, 350 pounds of potatoes, 55 pounds of cranberries, 30 large cans of green beans and 25 plates of stuffing will be used to provide food for up to 800 people at Food at First on Thanksgiving.

This Ames-based non-profit organization is located at the First Christian Church at 611 Clark Avenue and served approximately 650 people on Thanksgiving last year. Patty Yoder, executive director of Food at First, expects more guests to dine for free this year.

"I have asked people to dice celery for filling, and we have prepared it in the refrigerator," Yoder said last week. "There is a lot of preparation."

Food at First will serve Thanksgiving dinner at First Christian Church from 11:30 am to 1 pm on Thursday. Both volunteers and guests need to wear masks.

This year is the second Thanksgiving meal provided by Food at First during the pandemic. Yoder said that COVID-19 has completely changed the organization's free meal plan and the distribution of perishable food, and volunteers continue to take public health precautions.

The free meals received by about 120 people of the organization every day are still available on the roadside. The food at the First Free Market is open three times a week, and only recently moved back to the church. Guests must wear masks and are required to maintain a distance of six feet when queuing.

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In the days leading up to Thursday, about 200 volunteers participated so that Food at First could serve more than six times the number of people they usually cook in a day. In addition to preparing staples for Thanksgiving dinner such as mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce, Food at First will also bake homemade pies and 1,600 pumpkin sticks-twice as many as last year’s recipe, Yoder said, so these cubes can be made 800 sandwiches to prevent the cream cheese from sticking to the outer box from frosting.

Yoder said that First Food spends more than $400 a week on disposable packaging, and the cost has been rising due to supply chain issues leading to a shortage of takeaway containers.

"Considering all the transportation problems now, sometimes you go to the store to buy things, but they don't," Yoder said. "So we have been scrambling to find everything online."

More: For those in need, you can find free Thanksgiving meals near central Iowa here

Yoder said that although the number of people going to the pantry has decreased since the pandemic began, the number of people receiving free meals every day has steadily increased.

"We always see new faces," Yoder said. "I'm thinking about letting the chef prepare a few more meals a day, because we have already used up for a few days."

While Food at First is preparing to provide food to hundreds of people on Thanksgiving, the organization also distributes food donations to those who will cook at home during the holiday. Food donations can be delivered at the west entrance of Food at First from 9 am to 6 pm on weekdays.

Items on the organization’s grocery wish list include canned chicken, cream soup, olive oil, and various fruits and vegetables.

Although Yoder said the past year and a half has been a challenge, "we just keep going."

"The locals are really very, very generous to help us pay for these additional costs," said Yoder. "We are very grateful for this great community."

Isabella Rosario is a public safety reporter for the Ames Tribune. You can reach her via email at irosario@gannett.com or @irosarioc on Twitter.