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After theft at local church, business cuts to the chase
By Denise Dick
Photo
From left, the Rev. Al Yanno of Metro Assembly of God; Jim Lipjanic, co-owner of City Wide Lawn Equipment on Southern Boulevard; Travis Ranshaw, the church’s junior high pastor; and Mike Vargo, City Wide co-owner, show the donation of lawn mowers, leaf blowers and weed whackers to the church.
YOUNGSTOWN
A theft turned into a donation for a South Side church.
After reading in The Vindicator last February about Metro Assembly of God losing lawn mowers, weed whackers and leaf blowers to a theft, Jim Lipjanic and Mike Vargo, owners of City Wide Lawn Equipment, wanted to help.
“We saw the story, and we’re on the South Side too,” Lipjanic said.
On Wednesday, the business gave two lawn mowers, two trimmers and two leaf blowers to the South Avenue church, which uses the equipment to maintain vacant lots nearby.
“We’re a neighborhood business,” Vargo said. “We cater to the neighborhood we’re in.”
Lipjanic bought one of the mowers with money raised through candy sales at his nearby insurance business. That money used to go to a charity that served meals to needy people that recently folded.
“This is just like one that was stolen,” said the Rev. Al Yanno of Metro Assembly.
The other mower is one that someone dropped off at the business because it didn’t work. The shop repaired it and gave it to the church.
“This is great,” the Rev. Mr. Yanno said.
As the weather breaks and grass grows, the church is gearing up to start its seasonal work in the neighborhood.
“This will get us started,” he said.
Between 20 and 30 youths from the church take care of the neighborhood surrounding the church. Older children use the power equipment to maintain vacant parcels while younger kids pick up trash, rake leaves and other tasks. The youths work in the neighborhood weekly.
“We go around the South Side, taking care of the neighborhood,” Mr. Yanno said.
As City Wide gets more equipment in, Lipjanic said, it will send more the church’s way.
“If someone wants to come in a drop something off for the church, we’ll tag it, get it working and give it to you,” he said.
Last February, someone broke into a locked shed where the church kept its lawn-maintenance equipment. In two break-ins within a week, they wiped out all of the tools the church used to maintain the neighborhood — six lawn mowers, five weed whackers and two leaf blowers.
Besides City Wide’s donation, others surrounding the church are offering help too. Landlord Gail Stark is donating a nearby, secure brick building that she owns for the church to store its equipment temporarily, the pastor said.
The Visiting Nurses Association also will deed a building to the church to become a permanent storage facility, Mr. Yanno said.
Nearby block watches also donated money to the church’s neighborhood effort. The Wean Foundation, which provided a grant for the church to buy the equipment originally, also may replace it, he said.
That’s one encouraging thing that’s come out of the theft. Much of the help offered came from people from the South Side.
“People were angry that it happened,” he said. “They were upset that it was hurting the neighborhood’s good name.”