The New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium plan to honor local health care heroes during the team's final game of 2020.
The stadium will feature 900 cutouts during the Patriots' game Monday night (December 28) against the Buffalo Bills, WCVB reports. The cutouts will be displayed in both the field lounge and lower bowl seats at Gillette Stadium, according to the team.
The Patriots teamed with Optum earlier this month to give health care workers a chance to reserve cutouts featuring their images for free online ahead of Monday's game. The franchise is also asking fans to donate $75 to the American Nurses Foundation amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and demand for health care workers both in the state of Massachusetts and nationwide.
The Patriots will be wearing special custom-made shirts honoring local health care heroes during their pregame warmups, which will feature their images and names, WCVB reports.
"As the challenges of the pandemic continue, we reflect on the incredible service health care heroes are providing on the front lines," the Patriots said via WCVB.
The Patriots also confirmed that all net proceeds from Monday's Health Care Hero Appreciate Night benefit the Well-Being Initiative, which aims to focuses and raise awareness of the mental health of nurses, especially those working amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
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