An order of beef, weighing in at 1,600 pounds. Fresh vegetables, tipping the scales at 1,500 pounds. Enough ingredients to make about 1,000 pizzas.

The thousands of pounds of grub have one thing in common: In the next three weeks, they will make their way into the stomachs of 240 Steelers players, coaches and staff members during training camp at St. Vincent.

The Unity Township college's dining services have expanded its staff and menu in preparation to expand the players' empty stomachs. They will serve up four meals a day for the roughly three-week period the team resides at St. Vincent.

St. Vincent dining services placed orders for 1,600 pounds of chicken, 1,100 pounds of fish, 2,200 turkey burgers, 800 pounds of chicken wings and 800 pounds of ground bison, among other abundant orders.

"We've been in preparations since May," said Rick Laskie, the college's executive chef who will participate in his 11th camp. "We base our order on usage from past camps."

Laskie said the menu is affected by player preferences. The bison burgers are for the players by request, and the vegetables have grown in popularity.

"Many of the players these days like to eat a lot healthier because they are more conscious about nutrition and balanced eating," Laskie said. "Many players are concerned about their bodies as their careers progress."

Reggie Esmi, general manager of Parkhurst Dining, said many of the vegetables — about 60 percent — are locally grown, and some of the meat is purchased locally. The menu, he said, can change throughout camp because food orders are placed multiple times a week.

"We try to organize the menu with what (the players) like, and that can alter throughout the week -- or even throughout the day," Esmi said.

Food isn't the only product being shipped in excess to St. Vincent. Hundreds of pounds of juice and about 3,000 pounds of charcoal is on hold. In use will be a wood-fired oven that can bake the 20 homemade pizzas served at every meal and two large panini presses that can grill 32 sandwiches at a time.

About 50 workers have been added to the regular dining services staff of 75 to ensure enough manpower is available to prepare for the 140 who show up for breakfast and 240 who attend lunch and dinner. And since a late-night snack is served from 9 to 11 p.m., staff is usually on-hand from 4:30 a.m. until about midnight.

Benedictine Brother Norman W. Hipps, St. Vincent's president, also is ready — for the leftovers.

"The monastery usually gets what the players don't eat," he said, adding that he doesn't mind fighting the players for a bite. "They are so respectful, they always step back. Even Casey Hampton."

Groceries galore

The supplies ordered to feed the Steelers during their three-week stay at St. Vincent College:

» 1,600 pounds of beef

» 1,600 pounds of chicken

» 1,500 pounds of vegetables

» 2,200 turkey burgers

» 1,100 pounds of fish

» 800 pounds of chicken wings

» 800 pounds of ground bison

» 3,000 pounds of charcoal

» 300 gallons of juice

» 128 pounds of filet mignon

» 170 pounds of Maine lobster tails

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