Some service members have already begun receiving their treat bags. Pictured are members of the Air Force currently serving in Kabul, Afghanistan. To see more pictures and read the emails being received from recipients, you check out the Treasurers for Troops facebook page. (Photo provided)

Treasures for Troops and The First Freewill Baptist Church of Kosciusko County would like to thank everyone who participated in Operation Treat a Solider 2013!!

“We appreciate every person who filled a treat bag and encouraged a deployed service member with a card or letter,” said Susan Manns who organizes the local effort. “Our goal of 500 treat bags was reached and the bags were divided and sent to 16 different soldier groups of the various Armed Forces thru out Afghanistan, Korea and Kyrgyzstan.”

The 34 boxes containing the treat bags were mailed out Oct. 9-10. The total weight of those bags was 1,109 pounds and 8 ounces. The total cost to mail the 34 boxes was $1,853.65. Through donations and the $2 collected per donated treat bag, the effort was able to raise $1,519.25 toward the cost of shipping.

“With numbers like this, it was truly a community effort and on behalf of everyone involved with Treasures for Troops, we can’t say thank you enough to everyone who helped make this possible,” said Manns.

Some service members have already begun receiving their treat bags. Pictured are members of the Air Force currently serving in Kabul, Afghanistan. To see more pictures and read the emails being received from recipients, you check out the Treasurers for Troops facebook page.

Next up is Stockings for Soldiers. Everyone is invited to stuff a Christmas stocking with treats for our service men and women and those will then be sent as tokens of appreciation for their efforts. Many soldiers will be separated from their families this holiday season, and the stockings they receive from home are welcome surprises for them.

This year’s Stockings for Soldiers drive will begin Nov. 16 and end Dec. 2. Further information, including drop off locations, will be provided soon.

The following area businesses that served as pick up/drop off locations for Operation Treat a Soldier treat bags were Vein Institute and Medical Spa, Warsaw Community Public Library, Outdoor Living Center, Mann’s Kountry Kitchen (Silver Lake) and several area Lake City Bank branches.

Eagle Outdoor Sign Co. and Dan Walcott also donated billboards to help Treasures for Troops get the word out, and volunteers from the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department and Indiana Patriot Guard helped load the boxes and deliver them to the post office.