New Jersey man lost job, mowed lawns for free; network grew to 2,000 volunteers

In 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted daily life in the US, Brian Schwartz lost his job. Landscape Management reported that Schwartz, who was also caring for a sick parent at the time, found a way to help older neighbours and veterans struggling to maintain their yards. What started as a simple act of help soon attracted people who wanted to do the same. Schwartz created a basic website with his contact details so people could reach him. Requests began coming from outside his neighbourhood, and volunteers started contacting him to ask how they could help people in their own communities, the organisation's webiste says. That small effort eventually became I Want To Mow Your Lawn, a registered nonprofit based in Wayne, New Jersey. The organisation now connects volunteers with older adults, veterans and other people who need temporary help with their yards. It operates through volunteers rather than as a paid landscaping service. Six years after Schwartz started with a mower and a small group of volunteers, the network has expanded to more than 2,000 volunteers across all 50 US states. Its website currently lists more than 2,060 actively enlisted volunteers, over 3,090 service visits and more than 630 households served. It also says more than 15,000 people have reached out for help. A nationwide network The organisation says it began in the summer of 2020 with 10 volunteers and a borrowed lawn mower. The idea was simply to connect people who could not manage their lawns with people willing to give their time and equipment to help them. Schwartz said the response went beyond what he expected. In a note on the organisation's website, he recalled how requests first came from beyond his neighbourhood and then beyond New Jersey. The organisation says its purpose is not to replace professional landscaping services. Instead, it provides temporary lawn-care relief through volunteers. The service can include mowing, raking, trimming and edging. Some volunteers also provide other outdoor help. The organisation says there is no charge for the people receiving the service and that donations are optional. Volunteers decide when to help The network is built around individual volunteers rather than a traditional landscaping workforce. Once approved, volunteers can use the organisation's website or app to find requests near them. They can see information about the work required, the distance and preferred dates before deciding whether to take a visit. Volunteers are not required to make a long-term commitment and can choose individual visits. The organisation says volunteers communicate with homeowners through privacy-protected channels. After completing a visit, they can record their hours and upload before-and-after photographs. The organisation also reviews volunteers before approving them. It describes itself as a facilitator rather than a contractor and says coverage can vary depending on where volunteers are available. More than 3,000 lawn-care visits The numbers show how far the original idea has expanded. The organisation's current website lists more than 2,060 volunteers, 3,090 service visits and 630 unique households served. It says volunteers are active across all 50 states. It also says more than 9,000 people had contacted the organisation for help through its online form and voicemail line in one of its current impact updates. The requests come from people who may be older, veterans, living with disabilities or dealing with financial or physical difficulties that make yard work harder. For Schwartz, the response from volunteers became an important part of the project. He wrote that some volunteers told him that helping a stranger had changed their week or their outlook. “We were doing what we could to provide some relief at a difficult time. One thing led to another with people starting to reach out- homeowners, volunteers,” Schwartz said, as qouted by MLB.com. Yankees recognised the organisation The nonprofit received wider attention in 2026 when the Major League Baseball teamNew York Yankees selected Schwartz and I Want To Mow Your Lawn for the team's HOPE week. During the June 2026 event, Yankees players, coaches and staff joined Schwartz and volunteers in New Jersey to work on a homeowner's yard. The group included Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, who helped with the yard work, along with players and coaches.