New England Patriots Linebacker Marquis Flowers #59 Joins the Wonderfund Team, Sponsors Thanksgiving Turkeys for DCF-Supported Families

New England Patriots fans see linebacker Marquis Flowers stepping up in every game he plays–and now Flowers is stepping up for the Wonderfund, the newly relaunched charity supporting children served by the Massachusetts Department of Children and Flowers.

Flowers is making the Wonderfund a key focus of his community charitable work, and on the Monday before Thanksgiving he will also be donating 50 Thanksgiving turkeys to the families of a group of Wonderfund-supported children. With Flowers’ generous support, foster parents and families of children served by the DCF’s Taunton Area Office (the closest agency office to the Patriots home at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough) will be eligible to receive a turkey on Monday, November 20.

Flowers said: “Being blessed to be a part of the New England Patriots organization, I have the unique opportunity to kick off this holiday season in this special community by realizing that life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, freedom and responsibility to give something back by becoming more.”

The New England Patriots organization has become a leading supporter for the Wonderfund, with Patriots owner Robert Kraft committing $250,000 earlier this year to become a Founding Partner of the Wonderfund.

“We were overjoyed when Marquis made the Wonderfund a featured partner for his community charitable efforts, and it’s a perfect expression of the joy of Thanksgiving to have him also brighten Thanksgiving with this generous donation for dozens of the children we support and their families,’’ said Wonderfund Executive Director Jennifer Kitchenham.

“Robert Kraft’s support, and now Marquis Flowers’s support as well, are making a positive difference every day in the lives of some of our state’s most vulnerable and needy children, the kids the Wonderfund is dedicated to serving,” said Wonderfund CEO Erin Murphy Rafferty.

The Wonderfund, a private, nonprofit, 501(c)(3) federally tax-exempt charity, was formerly known as the DCF Kids Fund and relaunched in June 2017 with support from Massachusetts First Lady Lauren Baker, who serves as the Wonderfund’s vice chair.  The Wonderfund has a vision to provide resources and opportunities, above what state funding can do, for the more than 50,000 children engaged with DCF on any given day:

  • Emergency and transitional items: Children placed in DCF care, some with no more than the clothes on their backs, are given a duffel bag that contains clean, seasonally appropriate clothing, new pajamas, toiletries, and an age-appropriate item of comfort such as a teddy bear.
  • Enrichment opportunities: All children involved with DCF are eligible for funding from the Wonderfund to access enrichment activities like summer camp, arts & music lessons, sports, SAT preparation, or vocational training that can change the trajectory of their lives for the better.