Over the past two decades, the New England Patriots have been football’s most dominant franchise.
After years of mediocrity, the franchise has reached impressive highs and won six championships since the start of 2000. While the Patriots are known for what they have accomplished on the field, they have recently made an impact off of it, too.
The state of Massachusetts has been one of the hardest-hit places by the coronavirus pandemic. As of June 6, Massachusetts had the fifth-most total cases in the country. The state has only just started to reopen its economy but has received help from its football team along the way.
In early April, the Patriots’ team plane flew to China to pick up over one million N-95 masks that were delivered to medical workers in Massachusetts and New York. At a time when both states needed supplies, the Patriots came through.
Their involvement in the community, however, did not stop there.
On May 9, the Patriots delivered 1,000 vital meal packages to Chelsea, which has been one of the state’s hardest-hit cities. The packages were meant to provide three meals a day for two people for 14 days, which totals more than 84,000 meals.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft says he will donate $1 million to grassroots organizations that are working to end systemic racism. https://t.co/VH600ViTsI
— NEWS CENTER Maine (@newscentermaine) June 6, 2020
Earlier this week, Patriots owner Robert Kraft and the organization continued to step up in a time of need. The Kraft family released a statement expressing their desire to be a part of change in the country. Kraft then backed up that statement by pledging to donate $1 million to local organizations working to end systemic racism and create change in the community. The payments will be made in $100,000 increments over the next 10 months.
Over the last couple of months, sports have become secondary due to the coronavirus pandemic and race and law issues. While sports have been put on hold, the Kraft family and organization have still made an impact when it matters most.
While the organization is getting ready for the upcoming season, they have had their eye on the bigger picture when their assistance was critical.
