BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Community members are getting together to transform a space on Leroy Avenue into a residential soup kitchen and pantry to honor the legacy of 77-year-old Pearl Young who was killed in the Tops mass shooting.
Bishop Glenwood Young of Good Samaritan Church is reflecting on the times when Pearl Young would use his space to serve the community.
“She loved cooking, Pearl loved cooking,” he says. “That's all she wanted to do is just feed people and do all she could for the community. We thought that in her memory if we can just build a home that we can turn into a soup home and pantry, that we will continue her legacy.”
With May 14th just a few weeks away, Pearl Young’s daughter Pam Pritchett is also reflecting on who her mother was to the community.
“The tragedy of May 14th and her murder when people came to my home, and they would say yeah, I was homeless, kicked out of my home, and your mom gave me food,” Pritchett says.
Pritchett tells 7 News reporter Yoselin Person she’s thankful for this effort. It's a testament to everything her mother was.
“I'm really grateful for her church home, Good Samaritan, for having this initiative,” she says. “And just believing how important it is to give back to the community at the end of the day, that's what my mother did.”
Bishop Young tells Person Top Friendly Markets, and others are making donations to help with this initiative.
He hopes to get things moving in a few months after he gets the permits and the green light from the city.
There will be a food and clothes giveaway on April 29th from 11am to 3pm on the proposed site at 266 Leroy Ave in efforts to carry on the giving spirit that Pearl Young shared with this community every day.
