$25,000 Baker Hughes grant will fill a lot of backpacks

When Backpack Buddies’ Lin Larson goes shopping she never knows what will catch her eye for the program.

That’s how she stumbled on a deal that let her buy 12,000 packets of oatmeal for $1,200.

Similarly, it was a surprise when she learned recently the Baker Hughes Foundation funded a $25,000 grant for Backpack Buddies.

“We are proud to partner with charities like the Backpack Buddies of Douglas County,” said Bently Nevada Vice President Ed J. Boufarah. “Bently Nevada is an active member of this community and we are honored to support this cause. No children should have to go without food or have to choose between food and school. We’re excited to provide this donation and to expand the reach and the kindness of Backpack Buddies even further.”

Bently Nevada, a Baker Hughes business, is headquartered in Minden.

“We’re extremely excited about this grant,” Larson said. “It’s absolutely wonderful.”

Larson said the grant will help take the pressure off fundraising for a bit while the program focuses on enhancing the services it provides to schools and preschools.

“We will be able to buy things we need to have,” she said. “There are certain things you can’t get from the food bank.”

Backpack Buddies distributed 47 tons of food last year.

The program has provided additional food to school children for the past 15 years.