DELHI — The "Support Our Troops" dinner at the Delhi American Legion was a rousing success, according to event organizers.

Jordan Walsh and her daughter, Kellie Walsh, 9, began a fund-raising campaign to send care packages to local military personnel stationed in the Middle East. When they had exhausted the $2,000 in cash donations that had come in through canisters placed around Delhi, they decided to hold a spaghetti dinner to raise additional funds.

Tuesday night, more than 730 dinners were sold as more than 600 people showed up to eat and another 116 purchased meals to go.

"We raised just over $6,000 between the dinner, donations and the sale of T-shirts," Jordan Walsh said.

Many volunteers, including members of the Tau Delta Chi fraternity from the State University College of Technology at Delhi, turned out to help make the event a success.

Walsh said she and Kellie had packed and sent more than 35 boxes with the original donations. She added that the next round of preparing care packages will require more organization.

"This has become much bigger than I expected," Walsh said. "A lot of people have called and offered to help. We are going to have to find a larger place to prepare the packages."

The shipping of packages is on hold. The Pentagon has announced that soldiers deployed in the Middle East can't receive packages or mail, and Walsh said she didn't want them to get lost in the shuffle.

"We will send them eventually," Walsh said. "It looks like they are going to be there a long time."

A wall of photos, featuring local men and women who are serving, was assembled for the dinner. The display is now in the window at the Delhi Great American.