FEDUP received a new level of community support this year as it strives to help those who have suffered from shootings in the city.
Jennifer Hayden felt the tears coming as soon as she stepped through the doors.
The gym at Pilgrim Baptist Church had been transformed for a Christmas party — toys were stacked on tables, craft stations lined the walls and Santa’s red velvet throne sat waiting by a tree in the corner. Families filled the room with children, some clinging to their parents, others wandering between the tables.
Hayden said she has cried nearly every day since her son, Hunter Kendrick Orlando, was shot and killed in May. Most days, her tears are for Hunter. But as she looked out at the strangers gathered in the gym, they suddenly came from a different source — the familiar grief etched into their faces…