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WATERLOO -- The packages looked a little different but the sentiment hadn't changed.

We love you.

We miss you.

Stay safe.

Hurry home.

For the second time in only five months a group of dedicated volunteers with Iowa's Bravest gathered at the United Auto Workers Local 838 to pack dozens of boxes of snacks and entertainment for the men and women serving with the Iowa National Guard, 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry.

"It's been overwhelming," said Julie Ehlers, the organization's coordinator, of the donations piled high on two long lines of tables. "We want to make sure these guys know we still care about them."

The 133rd soldiers were scheduled to head for home earlier this month, but their deployment was extended when President George Bush called for a surge of troops in Iraq.

"This gives them something to think about heading into this last stretch," said Joe Vogel, whose son, Quent, is currently in Iraq. "This just shows how much we support them while they are over there doing what they have to. I know it really hits Quent hard."

Usually, Iowa's Bravest volunteers gather in the weeks before Christmas to pack hundreds of boxes for Northeast Iowa's soldiers. Wednesday, the timing and organization was a little different.

This time Ehlers didn't have the time to arrange the usual cash fundraisers used to finance previous shipments. Instead she relied on the generosity of community members and organizations to collect and donate items of use for the soldiers.

But, this also meant her usually perfectly packed boxes had to be rethought. This time the boxes will be sent out in care of five National Guard sergeants who will then split the spoils among his soldiers. In all the goods, including bags of Easter candy and even colored Easter grass, will reach more than 700 Northeast Iowa soldiers just in time for the holiday weekend.

Sgt. Mike Lawson only had two weeks to spend with his family during his leave from Iraq and chose to spend the afternoon with the volunteers at the UAW. When his break is over it is back to Iraq until August.

Lawson, a Waterloo native, is stationed at Scofield Barracks Hawaii. His wife is used to long and frequent deployments, but he understands that many Guard families probably weren?t ready for a nearly two-year long leave-of-absence.

"It's good for them to know they have such strong support for them and their families back home," said Lawson.

The experience was also a first for West High freshmen Gennifer Morgan and Kate Kalahar, both members of the high school ROTC program. They helped collect about $600 in cash and cases of food from Hy-Vee for the boxes.

Both were surprised to see the sheer amount of food piled high on the white tables.

"I didn't expect that many people in Waterloo to care about what they were doing over there," Morgan said.

But, she had her own personal reasons for helping Wednesday. Her stepmother, Charity, is currently serving in Iraq.

"I was thinking about her while I was doing this," she said.

Organizers received even more product donations than expected and have fallen short on money to cover postage costs. Donations for postage are still being accepted at all Veridian Credit Union branches.

Contact Emily Christensen at (319) 291-1520 or emily.christensen@wcfcourier.com.