The CW's paranormal television drama series Supernatural is one of the latest pop culture phenomena to be blessed by something significant: the growth of a generous fan base. Several months ago, a fund-raising endeavor named ?Fandom Rocks? was organized by fans of the series, in order to help support a homeless shelter located in Lawrence, Kansas. They banked mainly on the popularity of the show in order to bring in cash for the shelter, and they were largely triumphant. Their actions echo a growing sentiment throughout various fan communities of uniting under common geeky interests in the name of civic duty and helping others, as also exemplified by the Child's Play charity run by the video gaming web comic Penny Arcade, to name just one.



The latest offering by Supernatural fans has been named Operation: Winchester, after the protagonist brothers of the show. The charitable effort this time around is for the benefit of the military personnel in Iraq, providing them with relief and support efforts from back home. In this case, it comes in the form of fan-donated DVD sets of the first season of Supernatural. Operation Winchester is explained in more detail at the Supernatural Underground website, which is yet another online community dedicated to bringing together fans of the show in discussing their beloved characters? paranormal adventures.

The community site also regularly plans out and updates its members on their fan events such as conventions, as well as their charitable activities. Its membership comes from all over the world. While Operation Winchester previously recorded the names of soldiers who had been given packages by fans of the show, the listings were requested to be stopped and taken down because of security concerns. But on the other hand, it has also been deemed largely successful, since it has been said to be very popular with the troops.