IDAHO FALLS - If you think you shared Thanksgiving dinner with a lot of people, think again. Thursday the Salvation Army along with area churches whipped out a Thanksgiving feast for 1400 people in Idaho Falls.

Local News 8's Hailey Higgins went into the kitchen to figure out how a feat like this is accomplished.

"Set it right on just on the edge of that. " Bonneville County Sheriff Paul Wilde turned in his gun for a pot of hot water and melted butter today to make mashed potatoes. "They call you the water butter boy, what is your reaction to that?" "Hey, everybody has a job."

And everyone does have a job. At the free community dinner at the Elks Lodge in Idaho Falls this afternoon, "It's an orchistrated dance, the cooks, the servers, the hosts. Serving fourteen hundred people in just one hour.

Mayor Jared Fuhriman spent the day serving food to folks. But he was one of literally hundreds of community members helping out today. "This is what the community is all about. Helping out and looking out for and providing this wonderful service."

Major Sam Southard of the Salvation Army says "It is easy if you have the community involved, all the community churches, the city council and just regular citizens have been so helpful."

"Okay. This is where the food prep is taking place."

Well how much food does it take to serve hundreds? The Salvation Army says they bought 39 cases of turkey breast, 130 cans of corn, 10 cases of stuffing, 1500 rolls, and several hundred pounds of mashed potatoes. The Presbyterian church alone made 82 pies.

"We have hundreds of volunteers that give up not only today, but they start well in advance preparing for this."

And while community leaders have been serving food all afternoon, they can't wait to eat their favorite Thanksgiving food after they help the community.

"I am a stuffing guy. The turkey gravy and stuffing, I absolutely enjoy it."

"I would have to say the turkey. I love the turkey."

"Some people in the kitchen would accuse me of eating the turkey skin which is probably my favorite."

This is the 20th year the community dinner has hosted families. And after everyone has gone home, volunteers took dinners to homebound individuals.

The committee's goal is to make sure no one goes without a turkey dinner on Thanksgiving.