Nearly 200 volunteers gathered at Northrop Grumman in Bethpage Saturday for a packing party to benefit U.S. troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

?I was in the Army, and I'm giving something back to the troops [who] are overseas now,? says Larry Zuchman, a Northrop Grumman engineer.

The goal of the volunteers was to put together 10,000 bags filled with toiletries, reading material, games, food and letters from the community for the troops. Each time another 500 bags were packed, the ring of a bell marked their progress.

In order to keep spirits high throughout the day, volunteers took mandatory breaks, during which they sang and danced in a conga line.

?We call these stuffing parties, because it's a celebration about everything that's American, everything that's supporting the troops, and we want everybody to just have a good time doing it,? says Ron Wise, of the United Services Organization, which coordinated the event.

According to a USO representative, for many of the servicemen and women, the packages may be the only things they will receive for the holidays.