SOUTH BEND — Long before the tragedy at Fort Hood, plans were in the works for this weekend to put together care packages for the troops.

So, working like a well-oiled military machine, “Operation Care Package” at the Walmart on Ireland Road in South Bend Saturday turned a retail parking lot into an assembly line.

The goal was to fill bags and boxes with everything from necessities like bandages, toothpaste and socks to a few luxury items like pop tarts, candy and ornaments.

The idea is to send the care packages to the troops in time for the holidays. They will be going around the world, but at least some of them will be headed to Darnell Hospital at Fort Hood where a shooting rampage left 13 dead Thursday.

“I think it brought the military to the forefront again. Sometimes it takes a tragedy to get people out and involved,” said Deb Meyer, a Blue Star Mom and she was a key organizer of the event.

Adam Jividen, of Plymouth, got involved volunteering his time to create care packages.

He shares the same hometown as one of the men who became a casualty at Fort Hood Thursday.

“It was one of those things that completely shakes you and so you just want to do the best you can for the guys fighting for everything we know and everything we believe," said Jividen as he filled bags with toiletries and gifts for the troops.

Donations poured in as Blue Star Moms worked the Wal-Mart doors as substitute greeters. They handed out lists of suggested items the troops need to the shoppers who were entering the store.

Shopper, Carri Try, took one of those lists and made a donation.

"So we decided to get Ramen Noodles. It wasn’t that expensive, but we decided to donate to them," Try said as she left the store. Try admitted that the Fort Hood shootings were weighing heavily on her mind as she made her donation.

Military mom, Pam Brunette was at the Walmart doors as Try added her Ramen Noodles to the bin of donations.

“That touched home for a lot of people,” Brunette said of the shootings at Fort Hood.

The group filled 471 boxes — more than their goal of 200. The Blue Star Mothers are looking for donations to get those mailed off before the military's holiday deadline of November 15.

If you would like to support the Operation Care Package effort, you can mail monetary donations to:

St. Joe Valley BSM
P.O. Box 222
South Bend, IN 46624

Individuals or groups interested in organizing a collection of their own, can contact Deb Meyer with the Blue Star Mothers group at 233-6326.