MOSES LAKE - Peninsula Elementary School PE teacher Matt Ahmann dedicates about five weeks of his curriculum each school year to basketball.

He teaches students the rules of the game, proper technique and form, as well as other basic skills over the course of the unit. But having proper equipment for students to apply what they've learned is critical, he said.

The school gym currently has four basketball hoops, but only two are less than 10 feet high. That poses a problem, said Ahmann, as the hoops that don't come down below 10 feet are too high for most of the school's population.

"Fourth- and fifth-graders are really the only ones who can reach those taller hoops," he said. Students in kindergarten through third grade are then at a disadvantage when they have to play basketball with the taller hoops. Ahmann said it's important for students to be able to play with height-appropriate hoops, especially when they're first learning the sport.

"It's important when you're teaching development," he said. "It's encouraging when they can reach and discouraging when they can't."

Practicing with the right size hoop can foster better performance and form, which will benefit students as they continue with a sport, said Ahmann. He said he's been wanting to get adjustable hoops for the gym for awhile, but there was never any room in his annual budget for them.

He recently asked a Moses Lake company for help.

Basic American Foods has a company giving program that provides funding for various community projects about two times a year, employee Ed Martinen said. The program accepts grant requests from schools and civic groups looking for assistance on their projects, he said.

Martinen said each project is different, but they do all have one thing in common, they ultimately improve the well-being of their respective communities.

"Our company likes to give back to the communities we are in," he said. Since the company has a Moses Lake facility, they like to support the city whenever they can, Martinen said.

"This is where we live, this is where our employees are," he said.

Ahmann said he was surprised Basic American Foods decided to fund his entire project. A new set of adjustable basketball hoops is estimated to cost $4,000.

"I submitted the grant and was maybe expecting to get funded for some of it," he said.

But Basic American Foods gave Ahmann a check for $4,000 this week.

"It's amazing, this will fund everything," he said. "I can order the hoops next week."

Ahmann said the hoops could be installed as early as a few months from now, but it might end up being a summer project as he will have to coordinate the installation with the district's maintenance team. Either way, they will be up and ready for the basketball unit next school year, he said.

Students are currently learning about tennis, and won't need the new basketball hoops yet.

Peninsula PTO President Jennifer Webb said the new hoops will also come in handy during the Hoops for Hearts basketball fundraiser.

Ahmann holds the basketball fundraiser for the American Heart Association, she said. The most recent fundraiser netted about $1,150 for the association.