John Devlin kept trying to think of a lasting way to honor his mother's memory.
Sixteen years after Eileen Devlin's death, everything fell into place this year, the retired Atlantic City police officer said.
Growing up in Buzby Village, the then-Eileen Dayton always struggled to get a new winter coat each year.
So, her son decided to put together a plan to get coats for kids whose families couldn't afford them.
He got the names and sizes of kids and, bought 100 coats with donations from The Forza Insurance Group and help from the city's former first lady, Nynell Langford, and her son Elijah, who has made it his mission to do things for the community.
On Saturday, Devlin returned to the now-empty storefront on Atlantic Avenue that his grandparents owned as Devlin's Seafood since 1965.
It's where his mother went to work and met his dad. It's also downstairs from the apartment where Devlin and his five siblings grew up.
"It just all fell into place," Devlin said. "That we got sponsorship from (insurance company owner) John D'Angelo. That Nynell did something like this a few years ago. That this spot was open."
Devlin now hopes this can be a yearly event with help from the community.
In addition to coats, there were also some toy donations as well.
"It's a team thing," Devlin said. "We're helping a lot of kids. It's something good for the neighborhood. Something good for the kids."
