Before Forsyth County and the rest of the U.S. celebrates Independence Day, a local group is preparing treats for those who make it possible.

On Thursday at 7 p.m. at Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9143, Treat the Troops Southern Style will prepare boxes of snacks, toiletries, notes and other items for deployed soldiers. The group is still looking for cookies, postage funds and volunteers. 

“It is such a morale booster when the soldiers get something from home, especially the soldier that never gets mail or the soldier that is not expecting any mail,” said Linda Jones, with the group. “We try to provide a little bit of a home, and the feedback that we do quite often hear from the soldiers is what we are all about; it totally does make a difference.”

For this packing, boxes will go to troops in Italy, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, South Korea, Africa, Camp Buehring in Kuwait, the Kuwait Naval Base and to the USS George H.W. Bush and USS Howard.

Jones said the group ships five times per year and is expecting the largest-ever June shipment, totaling more than 250 boxes. Last year, 218 boxes were filled, up from 157 in 2015, 129 in 2014 and 73 in 2013. 

She said volunteers can pack 200-300 cookies, the most popular treat, in just over an hour and a half. 

“We’re a well-oiled machine,” Jones said. “We have an assembly line set up, and we have longtime volunteers that are there to help the newbies. From start to end, it’s a magical thing. Our volunteers love doing this; that is why we are so successful in supporting our soldiers.

“If you include with your letter or note or card of appreciation your own email address or your USPS address, you are just liable to hear back from a solider.”

A constant issue for the group is the cost to ship the boxes. Each box costs $17.35 to ship, which can add up quick with hundreds going out.

The group will celebrate its fifth anniversary in August and has shipped “just under 5,500 boxes containing almost 645,000 homemade cookies and thousands and thousands and thousands of pounds of candy.”

The group also sends items including cereal bars, drink mixes, bags stuffed with toiletries, jerky, nuts and letters and notes, all of which the group is still accepting.

For cookies and candy, chocolate cannot be included. Cookies containing nuts should be labeled.

“Some of the locations we’re sending to now, it’s well over 115 degrees,” Jones said. “When you think these soldiers are not only fully uniformed, but [they’re] wearing backpacks that might weigh 40-60 pounds, and on top of the heat, all the weight they’re carrying, when they want to grab a snack, we don’t want it to already be melted or melt in their little pockets.”

The event will begin at 6:30 p.m. VFW Post 4193 is located at 1045 Dahlonega Highway.