Fall River Non-Profit Granted $5,000 From New England Patriots

A small non-profit out of Fall River is catching the attention of the New England Patriots for going above and beyond the call of duty.

Tony Abreu, the vice president of Angels Anonymous, has been awarded the Patriots Difference Maker of the Week award. Abreu's non-profit was chosen out of 12 organizations around Massachusetts who have made a positive impact in and around their area by the Kraft family and the New England Patriots Foundation. The award was presented to Abreu for his hard work behind the scenes providing healthy food choices to those in need.

"We got a call from the New England Patriots earlier this week and found out that I had been nominated for a difference maker award," Abreu said. "I was honored and excited to have Angels Anonymous and our work highlighted by such a major entity like the New England Patriots. The $5,000 will be a major help to our food pantry and help us to bring in more healthy food options for all of our clients."

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The New England Patriots Foundation expressed their gratitude towards Abreu with the following message:

"Angels Anonymous strives to improve the quality of life for all those living in the city of Fall River and in surrounding communities. This service includes but is not limited to a monthly food pantry, neighborhood-cleanups, community restoration projects, charitable drives, holiday assistance, LGBTQ events and more. They are committed to serving all patrons in need with dignity, respect and inclusiveness. 

Tony is a founding member of the nonprofit and has served as a board member since day one. Utilizing his professional skills as a chef, he created the mobile food pantry. They started small, distributing food at local parks for those in need. Two years later, Tony was able to secure a permanent location and became a member agency of the Greater Boston Food Bank. 

With the help of the food bank and other donors, the Angels Anonymous food pantry now serves 600 families each month. During the pandemic, the pantries doors stayed open and Tony facilitated contactless pickups. In November, the pantry provided 500 Thanksgiving meals to local families. Thanks to Tony’s leadership, the pantry has distributed 500,000 pounds of food and supplies to the Southcoast region."

As a bonus, Abreu is also invited to participate in a special year-end celebration with a pair of tickets to attend the final Patriots regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on January 2, 2022.