Brian Schwartz Started Mowing Elderly Neighbors’ Lawns for Free After Losing His Job, and 2,100 Volunteers in All 50 States Have Joined Him

For six summers, a laid-off advertising worker from Wayne, New Jersey, has kept a mower running for neighbors who could no longer manage their own grass. Brian Schwartz began mowing lawns for older neighbors for free in 2020 after losing his job, and his nonprofit now counts about 2,100 approved volunteers, according to Upworthy.

Schwartz told the outlet the group has “more than 2,100 approved volunteers across all 50 states now.” The nonprofit’s own site says volunteers have registered in all 50 states, though it cautions that availability varies by area and that it cannot promise coverage in every ZIP code.

A layoff, a mower and a simple web page

CNN reported in September 2020 that Schwartz, then 39, had been a digital advertising executive commuting to New York City before losing his job in mid-June. He landed his first client at the end of June and had helped more than a dozen seniors across four New Jersey counties by early September. He told CNN that his motivation was simple affection for grandparents.

The early service was run with pandemic caution. Schwartz called customers when he arrived to keep his distance, did not accept tips, and served Passaic, Morris, Bergen and Essex counties, CNN said. Some customers contributed to his gas costs or to nonprofits he supported, and two other laid-off neighbors had joined him by then.

The nonprofit’s about page describes the early operation as “just a guy with a mower, some free time, and a web page.” Requests soon arrived from outside his neighborhood, then from other states, and volunteers began asking how they could help where they lived.

By September 2023, News 12 New Jersey reported, Schwartz was overseeing about 500 volunteers in 46 states, and about 2,000 yards had been mowed nationwide. The station said people in Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom had expressed interest in the idea. Three years later, the count of approved volunteers has grown more than fourfold.

What the numbers look like now

The Upworthy piece, dated Nov. 14, 2026, reports that the nonprofit has logged more than 3,100 free visits. From Jan. 1 to Nov. 10, 2026, it received 7,049 requests for help and signed up 679 new volunteers. Requests nearly doubled over the past year, and the summer peak topped 60 requests a day.

The article says about half of the people asking for help are 65 or older, roughly three in four report a disability or physical limitation, and about one in seven are veterans. About a third of requests come in through the phone line, and more than 100 case managers and social workers have referred people.

The organization’s website shows a live counter that runs slightly ahead of the article. It lists 2,185 volunteers and more than 3,143 service visits, with 672 households served and 1,895 volunteer hours logged. The site says the group is a registered 501(c)(3) founded in 2020 and based in Wayne.

The site also lists 20,383 requests received since 2021. The organization’s stated mission is to “preserve dignity, enable independence, and build community” through free, eco-friendly lawn care.

Who gets the help, and what it covers

The service is built for older adults, veterans and people with disabilities or limited mobility. Requests can come from the homeowner, a family member, a caretaker or a case manager, using the intake form on the website or the phone number 862-66-MOWER. Most visits are one-time and temporary, and volunteers handle mowing, trimming and edging.

Volunteers are not simply turned loose. The about page says the platform grew to include a board of directors and a volunteer review process. Upworthy’s 2,100 figure counts approved volunteers only.

The site directs families to a separate Mow Notice form when a homeowner has not yet agreed to the help. Patch described the free, temporary help as mowing, trimming, edging and seasonal cleanup.

The Upworthy article says volunteers need no special training or equipment to take part. It also describes a Veterans Day project in New Jersey that redid the yard of an Air Force veteran. A GoFundMe for the work had raised more than $3,000 Australian dollars, about $2,000 U.S., when the article was written.

Grants and the next push

The Upworthy article notes two AARP Community Challenge grants supporting safer homes and streets for older residents. Patch reported in July 2026 that the nonprofit received a $17,500 AARP Community Challenge grant, one of 21 organizations selected statewide. Since 2017, the program has awarded $793,916 through 68 grants in New Jersey, the outlet said, and a ceremonial check presentation in Wayne was planned for a later date. The money is meant to fund repairs to hazardous front-yard walkways, removal of tripping hazards, volunteer lawn care and neighborhood walk audits.

TAPinto Wayne reported that the nonprofit was seeking 20 volunteers to audit unsafe sidewalks as part of the grant-funded project. Patch added that the group has volunteers in all 50 states and has received more than 10,000 requests since 2020, a lower count than the 20,383 listed on the nonprofit’s own site, which dates requests from 2021.

The founder’s closing note on the about page reads, “every single day, somewhere in this country, a volunteer is quietly making someone’s world a little better.” The note is signed “Brian, Founder.”

Anyone who wants to volunteer, or to request a visit for an older neighbor, can start from the nonprofit’s website, which searches by ZIP code.

This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.

Image: Staff Sgt. Brian Jopek – Public domain/Wikimedia Commons