Bills provide relief efforts to a mourning Buffalo community

The relationship between the Bills and the city of Buffalo is possibly the strongest bond of any pro sports team in America to its home city. That bond was on display Wednesday as around 80 members of the Bills organization, including every single player on the roster, visited the shooting site on Buffalo’s East Side to pay their respects after last week’s terrible, racially-motivated killing by an 18-year-old man.

Members of the Buffalo Sabres and Buffalo Bandits were also there to volunteer and show support. The teams helped to pass out plates of food to the community and also placed flowers on a nearby memorial while wearing black t-shirts that had “Choose Love” and the Bills logo printed on them. While some were handing out lunch, others were signing autographs and chatting with the locals. Some Bills’ players, including Stefon Diggs, flew in Wednesday morning just to be there and lend a hand to the Buffalo community.

Bills defensive coordinator and assistant head coach Leslie Frazier led a moment of silence and a prayer for the victims of Saturday’s shooting. The Bills also used this time to speak to the community and let them know that they’re not alone.

“It’s the least we could do,” said Bills HC Sean McDermott in an interview. “When our community is affected the way it’s been affected, we need to step up and just fill that gap with love and unity.”

Bills QB Josh Allen also shared a message, letting the Buffalo community know that he is willing to help out however he can to try to return to a sense of normalcy.

The Buffalo Bills Foundation and the NFL Foundation have committed to donating $400,000 in support of the community, with half of the money going to the Buffalo Together Community Response Fund, and the other half going to various nonprofits throughout the community.

Clotilde Perez-Bode Dedecker, president and CEO of the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, said this in a statement: “On behalf of the Buffalo Together Community Response Fund, we are most grateful for the generous contributions from the Buffalo Bills Foundation and the NFL Foundation that will allow us to create real change and emerge from the darkness of this heinous act.”

Aside from the money donated by the Bills and the NFL, and the food and flowers brought to the community, perhaps the best gift given by the Bills and company was the overall message that they had the community’s back, which resulted in smiles. During a week full of heartbreak and mourning, it was a relief to see the Buffalo community ease their mind for just a brief a moment.

Joining in as volunteers on Thursday were Bills owners Kim and Terry Pegula, legends Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas and Bruce Smith, as well as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.