For a few moments Saturday evening, downtown South Bend looked a bit like the popular TV series, “The Walking Dead”, without the violence.

Bloodied and disfigured zombies shuffled and moaned their way from Howard Park, across the Jefferson bridge, up Michigan Street, across the Colfax bridge and down Niles Avenue back to the park. It was the seventh annual Zombie Walk, in which zombies bring nonperishable food for the Food Bank of Northern Indiana. (See all the photos)

It was a mix of veteran zombies and newbies who just thought it sounded fun to dress up and help a good cause.

Count Karen Nemes among the former. The 44-year-old from Mishawaka, a “rogue taxidermist” and artist who turns roadkill into new creations, has been coming for five years. She said she feels increasing pressure each year to take her costume up a notch.

“I like it because it’s kind of subversive,” Nemes said. “There’s a long lineage of zombies in popular media and I think Walking Dead has really kind of resurrected that, no pun intended. It’s been sort of a favorite genre of horror fans for a long time. For me it’s an opportunity to dress up and just go out and be kind of subversive, walk through downtown and scare people, but in good fun.”

This year’s event was the biggest yet. The park set-up incuded vendor booths, live music and a wrestling ring.

Nancy Ross, who has volunteered to help in the past, came with a fork seemingly sticking out of her forehead. She spent four hours on her make-up.

She said she’s not a zombie fan but she seizes any opportunity to make and wear a costume.

“It’s a chance to get dressed up and make a fool of myself,” said Ross, a workshop instructor with Work One, the state employment agency. “I’m not one of those die-hard zombies. I do watch ‘Walking Dead’ but that’s about the extent of it.”

Lawrence Wroblewski, 49, agreed.

“It’s like Halloween in August,” said Wroblewski, who came for the first time, accompanied by his girlfriend, Jen Penrod, and her 25-year-old son, Carl Neely. “It’s nice to have people bring food for the food bank, and it’s ironic with zombies eating brains and what not.”