Buffalo Bills Visit SPCA Serving Erie County to Pay Tribute to Veterans, Commend SPCA Vets and Pets Program

Full photo album of Buffalo Bills’ visit >>



November 10, 2022 — On Tuesday, Nov. 8, Buffalo Bills players Reid Ferguson (blue circle right), Tyler Matakevich (red circle), & Tommy Sweeney (blue circle left), along with members of Bills’ staff, stopped by the SPCA Serving Erie County as part of the NFL’s Salute to Service program. They paid tribute to veterans at the SPCA and commended the SPCA’s Vets & Pets program, which waives animal adoption fees for U.S. service members.

We’re all heroes in some way. On Tuesday at 11 a.m., most of those on-site at the SPCA fell into at least one of two categories. Some are “heroes” for dedicating their lives to teaching teaching the world about kindness, non-violence, compassion, and love as they help animals and people through their work at the SPCA. Others are “heroes” for dedicating their lives to representing our city and teaching the world about elite skill and strategy and dedication…about being caring role models, winning with grace and humbleness through athletics.

But serving in the U.S. Armed Forces defines the word “hero” in a more supreme way. And we were lucky enough to have some of those supreme heroes among us on Tuesday.

A quote by P. McCree Thornton says it in a powerful way: “To those who have fought for it, freedom has a flavor that the protected will never know.”

Veterans Day is about more than recognizing those who fought for this freedom. It’s about honoring them. It’s about remembering their service. It’s about thanking them for making the rest of us “the protected.”

Thank you to the members of the Buffalo Bills organization for making this special week dedicated to veterans so special, and thank you to the veterans on our staff and volunteer force, for your service and dedication.

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Full photo album of Buffalo Bills’ visit >>

–Gina Lattuca, SPCA Chief Communications Officer