A Thanksgiving meal is a big undertaking. Try multiplying that by thousands.

It seems the need will be bigger this year.

“We’ve been getting calls for Thanksgiving dinner for about a month now,” said Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple.

Last year, the sheriff’s holiday operation expanded by a lot because Equinox did not deliver meals.

This year, they will be looking for some volunteers because of the sheer volume of food that they’ll be preparing.

“We’ve already made a lot of calls. We’ve already made a lot of preparations,” said the sheriff. “We’ve already got our turkey accounted for. It’s getting cooked around November 20 and then flash-frozen and turned over to us, where we’ll cut and slice and bring the rest of the team out to Clarksville and cook it up. This year we’re looking probably around 3500 meals.”

People are struggling. The cost of everyday items has gone up.

Last year, with the absence of Equinox deliveries, the city of Watervliet put together its own operation to fill the void.

“We’re doing it again this year because I think the need hasn’t changed,” said Watervliet Mayor Charles Patricelli. “If anything, it’s probably gotten worse.”

Last year, people went out from Watervliet High School with their delivery lists to about 250 people in 114 Watervliet households that had signed up to get a Thanksgiving dinner delivered.

“It’s a great community,” said Watervliet Police Chief William Rice. “It’s phenomenal to be able to work here in the city. It’s a small city, it’s unique, and they’re definitely willing to help, give a hand.”

The mayor says about 15 restaurants have signed up to do the meals this Thanksgiving. It’s a large and complicated operation that they make look easy.

“I made a few phone calls, just to feel out some of the restaurants, like Arsenal City Tavern, Pat’s Pub, and a couple others, Valente’s Restaurant. I said, ‘Hey, would you help out with this?’ I couldn’t even get it out of my mouth, finish my last word, and they said absolutely!”

In Watervliet, the meals will be delivered on the day before Thanksgiving: Wednesday, November 27. Registration ends November 21 at 4pm. To sign up, go to www.watervliet.com or call 518-270-3800

For the Albany County Sheriff’s Office Thanksgiving Dinner, deliveries will be made Tuesday, November 26. You must reserve by November 22. Call or email to reserve: (518) 487-5440 or acsoturkey@gmail.com