DETROIT – After the equipment used by a Detroit nonprofit that helps seniors, veterans and disabled residents was stolen, the donations poured in.
Original report: Thieves steal lawn equipment used by nonprofit to help Detroiters
Cameras caught the thieves cutting locks early Wednesday and stealing $4,000 worth of items that teens with the Lawn Academy use to help the community by providing free lawn care and snow removal services to those who need it.
After Local 4 ran a story about the theft Thursday evening, Lawn Academy founder Eric Miller's phone blew up with people wanting to help.
"The minute things aired on the news, less than three minutes, I started getting the calls, saying, 'We're going to support you,' and calls haven't stopped since last night," Miller said.
Miller walked into a Home Depot on Friday to find carts full of the equipment needed to keep his nonprofit running -- a purchase made possible by Mark Davidoff, a partner of Deloitte in Detroit, and the many others who helped.
"What's going through my heart right now is you have Detroiters who care," Miller said.
Alejandro Jones, with AJ's Transportation, was among the business owners who made donations.
"I can stand here and take all the credit, but it's God. I'm just delivering what god told me to do," he said.
The donations will allow the organization to expand.