By KALEY CONNER

kconner@dailynews.net

LA CROSSE -- Thanksgiving still is two days away, but Timken resident Mary Leidig has been preparing for nearly a month.

She began drying bread three weeks ago to make homemade stuffing and has been cooking turkeys since last week.

That's because Leidig has a lot of mouths to feed Thursday. The organizer of Rush County's annual Thanksgiving dinner, she's working to prepare a feast for about 200 people. But she has the help of local volunteers and sponsors and is quick to give them full credit.

"It's not me," Leidig said. "It's my sponsors and volunteers. I'm just the coordinator."

The ninth annual sit-down event will be from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Thursday at St. Michael Parish, La Crosse. For those unable to attend, carry-out and delivery options also are available. Volunteers cover all of Rush County -- and beyond -- in efforts to make sure no residents have to be without a hot, made-from-scratch holiday dinner, she said.

Reservations for home delivery must be made in advance.

The county dinner began as a way for Leidig's daughter to complete her 4-H service projects. That tradition remains. Several young volunteers will offer their assistance.

Jewell Dinsmore, 13, and her 11-year-old brother, Jackson, will help Leidig in the kitchen for the second consecutive year. Both are active in scouts and 4-H and just enjoy helping others, said Jewell Dinsmore, who also loves to cook.

"It makes me really happy because I like to help out," she said. "Ask any of my friends in my class."

"The community really gives a lot to everybody," her brother Jackson agreed. "And I just wanted to help out with the community."

For more information, or to sign up for home delivery, call the Rush County Extension office at (785) 222-2710 or Mary Leidig at (785) 355-2306.