One year ago Thursday, Buffalo Bills superfan Ezra Castro passed away, but the legacy of 'Pancho Billa' lives on.
To date, more than 12,000 'Pancho Packs' have been donated to students in need here in Western New York and Castro's home state of Texas.
Before Castro passed, he made it clear he wanted to help provide students with the resources they need to succeed. It was one of his last wishes.
The Teachers Desk Buffalo partnered with the 'Bills Mafia' to put together backpacks filled with school supplies and sent them out.
"I thought we'd get maybe 100, maybe 200 backpacks to build for kids... It was larger than life, go to 12,000 backpacks is nothing that I was planning at all," says John Mika, director of The Teachers Desk. “I’m overwhelmed by just how loved this guy was and how he was appreciated by everyone who met him.”
On Thursday, Mika received a $1,600 check from Krystle Paladino and the Bills backers in El Paso, Texas.
“We recognize the fact that he did a lot of good and we want to continue that good, we don’t want it to just end with him,” says Paladino.
