Lancaster Volunteer Fire Department is one of 10 organizations to receive a $5,000 donation through the Bayer Cereal Experts Grain for Good™ Sweepstakes.

The Lancaster Volunteer Fire Department was designated by Brady Diamond of Lancaster, Minnesota. Brady was one of 10 entrants chosen to direct a donation to the organization of his choice.

“I’m a member of the fire department and know how much it costs to upgrade equipment and buy gear for new firefighters,” said Diamond. “We’re a really small community and rely on donations to make these purchases.

That’s why I nominated the Lancaster Volunteer Fire Department to receive a donation through the Grain for Good Sweepstakes.”

The Lancaster Volunteer Fire Department is comprised of 27 members and serves more than 800 residents in the area. On average, the department responds to 30 to 40 calls per year, primarily car accidents, structure fires and grass fires. Lancaster Volunteer Fire Department Chief Casey Faken says the Grain for Good donation will be used towards acquiring new personal protective equipment.

“We want all of the members to have to best gear out there,” said Faken. “With this donation, we will be able to buy two full sets of National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) turnout gear, the main form of personal protective equipment for firefighter safety, as well as air packs and face masks. This gear helps keep us safe on the front lines and provides protection against cancer-causing agents that firefighters are exposed to."

This is the second year of the Grain for Good Sweepstakes, which began in 2018. In total, the Bayer Cereal Experts have donated $100,000 to 20 cereal growers throughout the country.

“It was truly exciting to bring back Grain for Good again in 2019,” said Kevin Cencula, cereals marketing manager at Bayer. “As the Bayer Cereal Experts, we take great pride in supporting farmers across the country, not only agronomically, but also personally by lifting up the organizations that matter most to them and their communities.”

The $50,000 in donations will help provide educational materials, equipment and programming for local organizations. The nine other winning growers and their selected organizations include:

Brad Quadhamer, Hildreth, Nebraska: Wilcox-Hildreth Public Schools

Jerry McPherson, Yuma, Colorado: Baby Bear Hugs

Gene Warren, Dayton, Washington: Project Timothy

Ernie Chandler, Weiser, Idaho: Angel Wings Network

David Lagein, Rocklake, North Dakota: Young Riders 4-H Club

Margaret Estvold, Lakota, North Dakota: Lakota Public Schools

Brad Bonhorst, Fort Pierre, South Dakota: Oahe Child Development Center

Casey Nickol, Shelby, Montana: Shelby High School

Greg Vandenacre, Conrad, Montana: Echoz Pregnancy Care Center

To enter in the sweepstakes, entrants had to grow 250+ acres of cereal crops in eligible states. No purchase was necessary and entries were limited to one per person. Winners were selected randomly by a third party.

The Bayer Cereal Experts are excited to see all the ways the donations will help communities. Learn more about the Cereal Experts and the innovative Bayer cereals portfolio at CerealExperts.com.

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