COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Volunteers from Iowa and Nebraska are rushing to send 30,000 cookies overseas to deployed U.S. service members for the holiday season.

The group is called the Iowa Cookie Crumbs. Members bake, package and mail cookies every year to boost the morale of deployed individuals.

The group usually mails about 7,000 cookies to U.S. troops every month. But they’re increasing their efforts this November to send 30,000 for the holidays.

Volunteers rely on donations from the community in western Iowa and eastern Nebraska to cover delivery and baking costs. One box costs around $17.35 to mail. Postage fees topped $20,000 last year.

One of the bakers, 70-year-old Deann Over, says that support for the project is outstanding and shows the Midwestern spirit of helping others.

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