Josh Allen will donate $17,000 to John R. Oishei Children's Hospital, the Buffalo Bills quarterback announced Friday.
The donation brings the total amount raised in memory of Allen's grandmother, Patricia Allen, over $500,000. More than 23,000 donations have been made so far.
Allen received word that the woman he affectionately called "Grammy" had died unexpectedly at the age of 80 last Saturday, less than 24 hours before he took the field for a 415-yard, three-touchdown passing performance in Buffalo's victory over the Seattle Seahawks.
The news became public after the game, inspiring Bills fans to donate to Oishei – which Allen has supported throughout his career in Buffalo – in $17 increments.
Donations had reached $483,000 when Allen announced his contribution on Friday.
The quarterback described his family's emotional reaction to the support earlier this week.
"I know my family is forever ingrained here, myself included," he said. "I don't ever want to leave, obviously. I want to play here for as long as I can and give back to the community and give back to the Bills Mafia here."
Bills fans previously made headlines in 2017 after Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton led an improbable, game-winning touchdown drive against the Baltimore Ravens to clinch a playoff berth for the Bills in Week 17. Fans reacted by donating more than $400,000 to Dalton's foundation.
Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, a West Seneca native, said the fans' reaction to Allen’s situation was a reflection of both the city's neighborly attitude and of how the quarterback has embraced the community since being drafted in 2018.
"It's Buffalo, man," he said. "It's people taking care of people. People taking care of their own people. And people having each other's back. Certainly, they've got Josh's back. He and I talk a lot about being from around here and the type of people that are from around here, the type of communities.
"I know he's from out there in California. You just pick him up and put him right here, put him in West Seneca, South Buffalo, the Northtowns, wherever you want to be, he'll fit right in. That's him. He's just a genuine, genuine person. And I know he appreciates a great deal the support that he gets from this community, this fanbase, Bills Mafia. I know he's very thankful for that. And we're thankful for him."
