Jobless NJ man's free mowing grew into 2,000 volunteers nationwide
Brian Schwartz, who lost his job during the COVID-19 pandemic, started a volunteer initiative providing free lawn care to elderly neighbors. The project has since expanded into a nationwide nonprofit network with over 2,000 volunteers across all 50 U.S. states.
Why it matters
It highlights how individual community service initiatives can scale into significant national social support networks.
When Brian Schwartz lost his digital marketing job during the COVID-19 pandemic in the summer of 2020, he pulled out his lawnmower and began cutting grass for elderly neighbors in Wayne, New Jersey. Six years later, that simple act has grown into a nationwide volunteer movement operating in all 50 U.S. states. According to figures published by the initiative's official website, I Want To Mow Your Lawn, the nonprofit network now has more than 2,000 volunteers across the country. Together, they provide free lawn mowing, leaf raking and snow removal for senior citizens, military veterans, people with disabilities and others in need.
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