DEMOPOLIS &8212; With more and more American troops being deployed overseas each day, a group of county residents are pooling their efforts to do their part to support them.

Emily Owens first made an effort to support local troops when one of her students, Alfred Hudson, was deployed as part of Operation Desert Storm in the early 1990s.

She and her students put together a package for Hudson, full of items he may not have been able to get while stationed in Iraq like hard candies. But Owens also included letters of support for Hudson to read when times were tough.

The group, called the Love for Iraq Committee, hopes to send off as many care packages to troops overseas as they can by May 2. They plan to target graduates of Marengo County high schools or Wilcox Central High School in Camden.

The boxes will be filled with crackers, cookies, hard candy, canned meat, hand sanitizer, personal hygiene and other items they may not have access to while on their tours of duty. Owens said the estimated cost for each package will be $32 with an additional $10.95 for postage.

For more information on the project call Emily Owens at 334-295-8520.