New England Patriots donate $10,000 to Portland woman’s group

The Super Bowl champion New England Patriots football team and owner Robert Kraft announced Monday a donation of $10,000 to Portland’s Elizabeth McLellan and her nonprofit organization Partners for World Health, which collects unused medical supplies that have been discarded by hospitals and redistributes them to needy populations around the world.

McLellan’s organization was one of 26 to receive donations totaling $200,000 from the Patriots this week through the team’s 2017 Myra Kraft Community MVP Awards.

“There are some incredible people in our local communities that have dedicated much of their lives to volunteering,” said Robert Kraft, whose philanthropist wife, Myra, died in 2011. “We wanted to show our appreciation for these outstanding community advocates and offer our support to the causes that are so near and dear to their hearts. We admire their selflessness and thank them for their commitment to making the world a better place.”

Four-time Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady, star tight end Rob Gronkowski and Hall-of-Fame linebacker Andre Tippett were among the Patriots representatives to pose for pictures with the award winners during a ceremony in Massachusetts last week.