The Buffalo Bills & NFL Foundation Combine Response Efforts Following Attack
May 27, 2022
Following the racially motivated May 14 mass shooting at a supermarket in upstate New York that left 10 dead and three wounded, the Buffalo Bills Foundation and NFL Foundation came together to support the Buffalo East Side community, contributing $400,000 to local response efforts. The attack at the Tops Friendly Markets store, located in a predominantly Black neighborhood not far from where the Bills once played, was classified as a racist hate crime by authorities.
To address immediate and long-term needs, a combined $200,0000 was allocated to the Buffalo Together Community Response Fund - a new collaborative philanthropic effort across the region. The remaining $200,000 was donated directly from the Buffalo Bills Foundation to various non-profits working on emergency response efforts to address the immediate needs of Buffalo's East Side residents. One of the efforts includes a partnership with Buffalo Go Green, African Heritage Food Co-op, the Resource Council of WNY and UB Food Lab to arrange home food deliveries to those unable to come to a food distribution site.
"On behalf of the Buffalo Together Community Response Fund, we are most grateful for the generous contributions from the Buffalo Bills Foundation and the National Football League Foundation that will allow us to create real change and emerge from the darkness of this heinous act," said Clotilde Perez-Bode Dedecker, President and CEO of the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo. "This Fund is a partnership to build upon the collective desire to take action and to work together as a community to address immediate needs, long-term rebuilding and systemic issues that continue to marginalize communities of color."
Individuals in the Buffalo sports community also came together to support residents. Around 80 players and coaches from the Buffalo Bills, NHL’s Buffalo Sabres and NLL’s (National Lacrosse League) Buffalo Bandits traveled to the site of the massacre to distribute food, lay flowers at the victims’ memorial and interact with the community.
“This gave us an opportunity to come out and be physical and show that we care about this community,” said Bills’ Josh Allen. “To be in the community, give some hope, share some grief – that’s how we’re going to get past this.”
In a statement, the Buffalo Bills said, "this is just the beginning" of their community efforts, and provided ways for people to get involved.
Since this article was written, another mass shooting occurred in Uvlade, Texas. Our deepest condolences go out to all the victims, their families and the communities of these tragedies.