New England Patriots recognize Fall River man for charity work

The New England Patriots are recognizing a Fall River man for his tireless volunteer work in the community.

Tony Abreu is a founding member of Angels Anonymous, an organization that improves the quality of life for those living in Fall River and in surrounding communities. AA provides a monthly food pantry, neighborhood-cleanups, community restoration projects, charitable drives, holiday assistance, LGBTQ events and more with dignity, respect and inclusiveness.

According to a statement made by the team, “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.”

The Fall River Show with Marc Dion talking to Melissa Dawson & Tony Abreu the heads of Angels Anonymous.

AA announced on social media that the New England Patriots Foundation and Robert Kraft will present a $5,000 donation to AA in Abreu’s honor.

According to the Foundation, “the Kraft family and Foundation recognizes one outstanding volunteer as the “Patriots Difference Maker of the Week.” Seventeen outstanding volunteers will be named as a Patriots Difference Maker of the Week and will be featured on patriots.com. The Patriots Difference Makers will participate in a special year-end celebration and receive a pair of tickets to attend the Patriots final regular season home game on Jan. 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.”

This marks the 11th season that the Kraft family and the Patriots Foundation has presented their Patriots Difference Maker of the Week Award to volunteers from all across New England. Since its inception, 150 individuals have received this award and more than $675,000 has been donated to local nonprofit organizations.