Here’s How You Can Donate to Damar Hamlin’s GoFundMe Toy Drive

Donations from NFL teams and fans have poured in for the foundation started by McKees Rocks native Damar Hamlin, raising over $7 million just days after the Buffalo Bills player suffered a cardiac arrest on the field.

An online fundraiser started by McKees Rocks native Damar Hamlin has raised more than $7 million only days after the Buffalo Bills safety collapsed on the playing field during a Monday Night Football game.

As of Thursday afternoon, the GoFundMe campaign neared $7.3 million. Some NFL teams and players made significant donations to the fundraising drive that Hamlin set up in December 2020 to purchase toys for children affected by the pandemic in his hometown. Before Hamlin’s collapse on the field, the foundation had raised $2,900, a little over its goal of $2,500.

His charity, the Chasing M’s Foundation, said that it was still formulating a plan on how to use the money. The foundation says it has used past donations for toy drives, back-to-school drives, and camps for children.

You can donate by clicking here.

The 24-year-old Pitt alum has shown remarkable improvement since suffering a cardiac arrest in the first quarter of Monday night’s football game between the Bills and Cincinnati Bengals.  

“While still critically ill, he has demonstrated that he appears to be neurologically intact,” a statement from the team said Thursday. “His lungs continue to heal and he is making steady progress.”

Hamlin has opened his eyes and can grip the hands of those close to him, according to social media posts from his teammates and family.

Hamlin spent five years at the University of Pittsburgh and appeared in 48 games for the Panthers over that span. He was a second-team All-ACC performer as a senior, was voted a team captain and was picked to play in the Senior Bowl.

He was drafted in the sixth round by the Bills in 2021, played in 14 games as a rookie and then became a starter this year once Micah Hyde was lost for the season to injury.