April 21, 2020
The Philadelphia Eagles and owner Jeffrey Lurie will donate a total of $1 million to aid and support essential health care workers fighting COVID-19.
“As part of these careful discussions, and in collaboration with some of the best minds and thought leaders in our city, we have developed a comprehensive plan aimed at providing critical support to essential healthcare workers," Lurie said in a statement. "Their bravery and courage are admirable. And their efforts, and those of their families, have made us all safer during these incredibly difficult times.”
Earlier this month, Lurie donated another $1 million to Penn Medicine for COVID-19 research.
In order to serve essential workers directly, the organization will donate $100,000 to Jefferson Health's Better Together Fund and $250,000 worth of gift cards from Acme, Chickie's & Pete's, Dunkin' Donuts, McDonald's, and Wawa to employees at Jefferson and CHOP.
The team will also donate 100,000 N95 masks to Jefferson Health, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and other local health systems to combat personal protective equipment shortages.
An additional $35,000 will be given to the Jewish Family and Children's Service of Greater Philadelphia's Helping Healthcare Heroes Support Group and Uplift Center for Grieving Children to support mental health services for essential workers and their families.
In an effort to support blood donations, which have run low since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the team will donate $250,000 to the American Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania. The donation is part of the National Football League's Draft-a-Thon, which raises funds for six national non-profits.
Additionally, the Flyers Charities donated $250,000 to Philabundance in an effort to help Philadelphians facing food insecurity during the coronavirus pandemic. The Philadelphia 76ers and Sixers Youth Foundation also donated $250,000 to the food bank, which brings the support from Wells Fargo Center sports teams to $500,000. The total donation was estimated to feed 320,000 people in the region. Sixers ownership, along with star center Joel Embiid, also donated $1.3 million to establish a testing fund for health care workers fighting COVID-19 on the front lines.
