BUFFALO N.Y. (WKBW) — The healing process continues in Buffalo's Jefferson Avenue neighborhood as it's more than a year now after the Tops mass shooting that claimed ten lives. Volunteers from Buffalo Reuse gathered to plant flowers to bring a little beauty to an area that has gone through so much pain.
Volunteer Tracy Hurley said when she heard the news about the shooting she just questioned what she could do to help.
"I felt like I needed to do something right away like what can I do to help," she said.
Her and her three kids planted flowers with Buffalo Reuse. Hurley said she is planting heartfelt and mindfulness seeds as much as she can.
"They need to know that different areas are suffering in different ways and sometimes they do need help and that not everything is given to you," she stated.
Her daughter Lena likes to draw and paint flowers. Lena said all she wishes is for this to help.
"I think it will just give people hope and make them feel better," Lena shared.
Founder of Buffalo Reuse Michael Gainer said the organization will be planting flowers along Jefferson Avenue. He hopes this will blossom some positivity and help take steps towards a brighter future.
"Everything takes work and this has been a side of town that has been kind of left out of renaissance or growth of the city. So these types of actions and these types of activities and these types of programming they help to bring people out give them hope energize them," he stated. And make them feel like there is something happening here."
Hurley said this is just the beginning. Actions like this have to continue for real change to be seen.
"We still have to remember to help this area," she said.
It's the little stokes, Gainer said, that makes a large masterpiece of artwork beautiful."
"Its those little actions when taken together really start to make an impact," he shared.
