VIDALIA — One Vidalia resident hopes her big goof will make a few soldiers smile this Christmas.

Pattie Reed Morris has a friend serving in the military in Baghdad, Iraq, and she volunteered to send him a copy of their class of 1978 Vidalia High School yearbook to help him pass the time at his camp.

She meant to order 10 shipping boxes from the post office to cover future shipments to her friend, but she made a mistake.

“I accidentally ordered 10 cases of boxes instead of 10 boxes, 10 cases of 25,” she said.

So to make good use of the excess boxes, Morris is spearheading Operation G.R.I.T.S — Gifts Raised in the South.

Anyone in the area can grab a box at the Vidalia post office, fill it with goodies for a solider, pay the $12.50 shipping costs and mail it to a solider overseas.

Morris is encouraging participants to mail their boxes to a friend or family member first, but for area residents who may not know the name and address of a solider, Morris has a plan.

Her friend Sgt. Major Wilburn Ferguson of Vidalia has agreed to distribute boxes to other men and women in his camp — Camp Victory.

“We have empty boxes here and soldiers over there,” Morris said. “We need to fill them.”

Ferguson has suggested that boxes include toothpaste, tooth brushes, dental floss, razors, shaving cream, snacks such as trail mix, peanuts, beef jerky, pretzels, Band-Aids, small bottles of hand sanitizer, small bottles of shampoo, foot powder and body powder as a start.

Special notes or gifts are also welcomed, Morris said.

“They love cards and letters from little kids,” she said.

Morris has spoken with several area schools and hopes to make the project a fun one for area classes this holiday season.

The Vidalia Chamber of Commerce is also promoting the project.

Filled boxes with addresses can be mailed at any local post office. Filled boxes without addresses can be dropped off with postage payment at the Vidalia post office, where postal workers will set is aside for Morris who has a stamp with Ferguson’s name and address ready.

Only non-perishable items can be shipped, and the post office will have to see a list of what is included in the box. Morris asks all participants to attach this list to the outside of their sealed boxes.

Morris hopes to begin distributing boxes this week and have them in the mail to Iraq shortly after Thanksgiving.

“I just don’t want soldiers over there not to have anything on Christmas,” she said.

“My mistake is hopefully turning in to a really good thing.”