ATLANTA — A couple making their mark on the community, moving dozens of overgrown and abandoned lots for free, is now asking for the public's help.
11Alive first introduced viewers to Jarvis Drake and Diamond Owens last summer. Now, they're facing an uphill battle after they say someone stole all of their equipment.
"We came around the corner… and Drake was like, 'Where is our trailer?' And it didn't even register with me," Owens recalled.
The couple said it was taken from their own turf.
"My heart dropped," Drake added.
They told 11Alive thousands of dollars in lawn care equipment vanished, last week.
"I looked up and I just burst out crying," Owens said.
Drake said there were marks from the fourth floor going down to the third floor of the parking garage of the building where they live.
"It looked like my trailer was dragging down the deck," Drake said. "My zero-turn mower was on there… I got a BR steel trimmer. My work boots."
While it's just equipment, it's what fueled Drake and Owens to be a cut above the rest. The couple got noticed over the last year when they started mowing overgrown lots for the elderly or of homes that had been abandoned.
"We actually just helped transform a church parking lot and went out of pocket… but they were so happy," Owens said.
They soon gained a following, posting transformation videos on YouTube.
Shortly after 11Alive aired their story, the City of Atlanta's Public Works Department honored them for their community service. Despite a year of such growth, they said they're feeling cut down.
"I'm sad. I'm really sad… because I didn't expect this to happen," Owens said.
"We work so hard and people don't know that. They don't see what we do behind the scenes," she added. "They have put us in a very bad position where our rent was just due. We're not rich. We're doing the best that we can. They took our livelihood."
They said they're not going to let this bring them to a standstill.
"Even though this happened, I'm not going to stop," Drake promised. "I'm still going to be out there this spring when the season starts. I got a push mower, a Honda. I'm going to crank it up and bring it out.
"I feel like this a big test," he added.
"As Drake said, we're going to continue to push forward, love where we live, and we're going to continue to advocate for the safety of our community and of Atlanta… and as I've said before – be the change you want to see," Owens added.
An online fundraiser has been set up to help them raise money for new lawn equipment.