Help Alex and His Family Rebuild After Devastating Theft

I’m Sabrina Nelson, a longtime Los Angeles resident. For nearly 30 years, three generations of one family have cared for our yard—and for us. The first generation was Felimino, the grandfather, who came from Mexico in the '70s. He was already tending our yard when we moved into our family home in 1995—we had toddler twins and a baby on the way.

Felimino was a lovely, hardworking man who brought his young son, Silverio, along to learn his trade. When Silverio became a father, he also brought his own little boy, Alex, to work—running around and tagging along with his father and grandfather, just like our own kids played in the yard. At one point, Felimino even turned our entire backyard into a vegetable farm. It was the coolest thing, and it showed the care and pride he brought to his work. And the fresh tomatoes and corn were amazing.

This was a beautiful, tight-knit Latino family who worked together, laughed together, and never stopped showing up for us—rain or shine. Felimino worked until just weeks before he passed away in 2020 at nearly 90 years old. His legacy lives on in his son and grandson, who now do the landscaping themselves.

Last week, that legacy was dealt a terrible blow. Thieves stole both catalytic converters from Silverio’s work truck—a $7,500 loss that insurance won’t cover. Without his truck, he can’t work. To make matters worse, Alex’s brother had his weed whackers stolen too. In an instant, their ability to earn a living was crippled.

How much yard work do you have to do to earn $8,000? Now imagine not even being able to start because you have no truck or tools.

Catalytic converter theft isn’t just property crime—it destroys livelihoods. A music teacher friend of ours in Woodland Hills, CA, had his converter stolen from his Prius at 2 a.m. When his wife went outside to see what was happening, the thief shot at her. It took four months to replace the converter—four months without a car.

Our own neighborhood in Los Angeles used to feel safe. But in the past year, two trucks have been stolen off the street (one right in front of our house) and a third theft was attempted across from us.

We’re raising funds to:

If you’ve ever had someone show up for you, work hard for you, and do it with an amazing attitude, you know the kind of people Alex and his family are. Let’s show them the same loyalty they’ve shown us for decades.

Every donation—no matter the size—will help them get back to work and send a message: Los Angeles takes care of its own, and we are tired of this nonsense.

Let’s make this right.