Houses are built of lumber, but homes are built on love.

About 150 local soldiers who have to be away from home right now will soon be getting a little love in the mail. And it sure will be sweet.

Boxes and boxes of homemade cookies will be sent from Bismarck to Afghanistan this week, where they'll wind up in the hands of the soldiers in Battery A of the North Dakota National Guard's 1-188th Air Defense Artillery Battalion.

The unit was mobilized in December, but just recently made it to Afghanistan. Its soldiers will provide convoy security and assist in military police operations until January.

Back home, the unit's family support group has been meeting once a month. Its president thought Operation Cookie would be a good way to get more people involved.

"When I put this together, Ididn't have an address for (the unit) yet, so I was pretty nervous," Paula Sayler said. "But they got there now and they're doing well. Here, the family support has really pulled together."

They certainly came together when called to bake. Dozens of people brought homemade cookies to the AMVETS Club on Saturday afternoon. Bags of coconut, toffee, oatmeal, ginger snap cookies and many more were packed into boxes in one of the club's meeting areas.

Annette Scholl - whose son, Jeff, serves in Battery A - said the public is invited to make cookies for the soldiers of the 188th. They can be delivered to Building No. 35 at Fraine Barracks, in Bismarck, through Wednesday, she said.

Jeff Scholl's sister, Angie Plante, also is a member of the support group. She said events such as the cookie roundup help bring members closer.

"I can't get over the love and support here,"Plante said. "We couldn't get through without it."

Sayler said the support group has other special events planned, including a camping trip in June and fun outings for the children whose mom or dad has been sent to Afghanistan. She and her husband, Jeff Sayler, have a 2-year-old daughter. They were named the 2005 North Dakota Army National Guard Family of the Year.

"What I like about it is you're not in it alone," Sayler said. "You have someone here that understands completely what you're going through. There's always someone to reach out to."

But Sayler also might have an ulterior motive for her Operation Cookie.

"I don't bake," she said, "so my husband is going to be set for a year."

(Reach reporter Tony Spilde at 250-8260 or tony.spilde@;bismarcktribune.com.)