DANVERS - To Dick and Christine Moody and thousands of troops stationed overseas in places like Besmaya, Numaniyah and Kirkush, the number 22,112 held a special meaning this holiday season.

That's the number of gift-wrapped presents the Moodys' grassroots group, Operation Troop Support, managed to land in the laps of thousands of soldiers serving in 13 countries this holiday season.

"Your packages made Christmas somewhat like Christmas in this far away land, and we all appreciate it greatly," Army Sgt. Justin Ellenton, a Danvers patrolman who is serving in Baghdad, wrote in an e-mail.

Dick Moody said he was so busy arranging the massive shipment for the troops that he didn't have time to put up the Christmas decorations around his home.

"We did 15,000 last year," said his wife, Christine Moody, "and we set a goal of 20,000 this year, and when it went over 22,000, I said, "'Can you imagine?' "

"We've been told this is the largest grass-roots mailing (for the troops) in the country," Moody said.

The gift boxes were wrapped by hundreds of volunteers starting last January. Gifts were wrapped for both men and women, and some Hanukkah boxes were sent over, as well. Gift boxes typically included a deck of cards, a small football, candy bars, socks, lip balm, sunscreen, maybe a battery-operated game. Some 15,000 holiday cards were also sent.

The Moodys have very personal connections to the troops in Iraq. Their daughter, Air Force Staff Sgt. Christina-Marie Pennington, served in a combat support hospital in central Iraq, and their son, Air Force Master Sgt. Scott Moody, is heading for his third tour of Iraq on Jan. 15.

But Operation Troop Support has been a true community effort, Christine Moody said, adding that she and her husband are just "the facilitators."

The Danvers Senior Center, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, high school students, and church groups in Middleton, Topsfield, Peabody, Salem and Danvers wrapped gifts all year during special wrapping days once a month in the Danvers High cafeteria. By June, anywhere from 300 to 400 people at a time would show up to wrap 1,500 to 2,000 gifts in a two-hour block.

Jim George, a retired Danvers patrolman, stood out in Danvers Square on Saturdays, week after week, and raised thousands of dollars for postage and other necessities, Dick Moody said.

"The people in this community are wonderful," he said.

Kelly Infiniti, Danvers Ford and others donated box trucks to haul the gifts - packed into larger boxes - to various storage locations, including ITW Devcon, Cranney Self Storage and Extra Space Storage in Danvers.

Postmaster Brenda Martin of the Danvers post office arranged extra manpower and vehicles to get the shipment out. Postage alone came to $20,000.

The large boxes were shipped to 412 individuals serving overseas in 13 countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. Many were shipped to chief master sergeants who had the ability to steer the gift boxes to the right hands.

Soldiers were appreciative. Ellenton, a Danvers High graduate who is serving as a military police officer with the Army Reserve, wrote that he even played a sort of soldier Santa to others.

"My roommate and I waited until 0200 hrs Christmas morning and then gathered all the Operation Troop Support packages and delivered one each along with a card and candy cane, also from OTS, to every soldier living in my area," Ellenton wrote.

"It was a great surprise for them in the morning. ... We can't thank you enough for all of your support."

Capt. Claudia Crossland, a Beverly High graduate and Army protocol officer with the Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq, passed out cards and gifts in eastern Baghdad, Besmaya, Numaniyah and the Kirkush military base.

"It was an honor to be able to spread holiday cheer on behalf of the North Shore and Massachusetts," Crossland wrote.