If you think cooking a turkey is a chore, try cooking 190 turkeys plus the fixings for up to 2,200 people.

That’s what a small army of volunteers will be doing this week for the 10th annual Manteca Community Thanksgiving dinner taking place Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Mt. Mike’s Pizza in the shopping center on the northeast corner of Louise Avenue and North Main Street.

Jeff and Tevani Liotard turn over their restaurant for the day to dozens of volunteers that typically prepare more than 2,000 meals.

The effort headed by Manteca Rotary and the Sunrise Kiwanis with help from Manteca Interact, Manteca Police Officers Association, and the Manteca Unified School District starts today with the brining of 190 turkeys. Those turkeys will be cooked by a Kiwanis crew starting Wednesday evening.

Then early Thanksgiving morning a team led by Rotarian Nick Obligacion will debone the 190 birds. All of the side dishes — except for the purchased rolls and pumpkin pie — will be prepared by volunteers Thursday morning.

A little over half of the meals served are for takeout or for organized dinners elsewhere such as at the Manteca Veterans Hall on Moffat Boulevard. Takeout meals are delivered in individual containers for distribution to shut-ins in Manteca, Ripon, and Lathrop.

The dinner service at Mt. Mike’s is open to all whether it is people who may not be able to prepare or afford their own dinner or those who would like to share the holiday meal with others.

The 190 turkeys are donated by the community as part of the annual Turkeys R Us Drive.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com