GASTONIA, N.C. (AP) — A local bottling company is coming to the rescue of some Gaston County students who wanted to send a little taste of home to soldiers in Afghanistan.

The Gaston Gazette reports (http://bit.ly/Wm1FkG ) that students at East Gaston High and Stanley Middle schools collected nearly 150 cases of donated soda for an Army unit of 250 soldiers. But the students found the cost of shipping the drinks was too steep for them to handle.

Up stepped Mark Begley of Pepsi Beverage Co. in Cherryville. He sent a truck to East Gaston High School on Thursday to get the drinks ready to ship. They could be dropped off at the Air National Guard in Charlotte and then flown to Charleston, or they could be shipped to Afghanistan directly.

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Information from: The Gaston Gazette, http://www.gastongazette.com