We called it ”Operation Beauty Booty.”

I love booty, especially beauty booty. Body wash, lotion, lip gloss, make-up, you name it. And so do our sisters-in-arms. But when you’re fighting a war, these items are hard to come by. So, me and my amiga, Vickie Chachere, an editorial writer at the Tampa Trib, decided to help our girls’ out.

We posted fliers around the Tampa Tribune, News Channel 8 (NBC) and TBO.com. We scheduled our event on a Thursday afternoon in the fourth floor cafeteria.

More than 50 women – and one man – stopped by with bags, boxes, even a pillowcase, stuffed with unused body lotions, bath gels, make-up, feminine hygiene products, razors, facial wash and deodorant. We gave a special prize for the biggest single donation (by the number of items). A big shout-out goes out to Westin hotels for donating cases of hotel toiletries.

Through anysoldier.com, a website that helps get care package wish lists to soldiers, we’re sending the items to our sisters-in-arms in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Check out our video to see how we did it. You can do it, too.