Volunteer With New York City Platoon

Platoon Summary

The New York Platoon has four operations focused on supporting communities in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens. Since late 2014 and early 2015, our volunteers have collaborated with their communities to reimagine and reinvent spaces and places; strengthening the connections between the people and places they share to support an evolution of what the community is known for. Brooklyn has many under-resourced communities that have had struggles with gang violence and crime in the past but residents and community members are working to change the perception. The Brooklyn Operation has been collaborating with other nonprofits to help change that perception and strengthen the community connection. We have partnered with NYC Parks, GreenThumb, and our local gardeners in East New York to make our community gardens better. Some of the recent service projects include our Earth Day project in East New York that supported local community gardens as community members and gardeners prepare for the growing season. The Bronx Operation's focus is on environmental restoration and preservation to support improvements along the waterfront and underused green spaces in the South Bronx area. We also support cultural enrichment opportunities throughout the Bronx that enable high-quality public space availability within walking distance of residents’ homes. We partner with community non-profit organizations and local leaders to fortify the city’s aging infrastructure, rehabilitate parks, and cultivate the various community gardens and green spaces throughout our neighborhoods. Partners include Rincon Criollo Community Garden, Bronx Sunshine Garden, and The Bronx County Historical Society, The Manhattan Operation is focused on building green and civic spaces available to residents throughout Manhattan's Lower East Side. Every fourth Saturday of each month during 2023, rain or shine until the end of the year holiday season, you can help plant gardens, construct planters, build workspaces for arts and crafts, create community spaces, and much more. We are partnering with the Lower Eastside Girls Club to realize its vision of being a resource for all the neighbors and neighborhoods it serves. The Queens operation is rebuilding its volunteer base and seeking out new opportunities with community partners. Being "green" is the main focus of the operation, whether it be “reduce, reuse, or recycle” and to seek out the numerous urban farms and assist their needs by supplying the surrounding communities with locally grown nutritious food. We continue to build upon our partnerships with Big Reuse, Coastal Preservation Network, Red Hook Farms Composting Program, Rusty Wheel Barrow Farm, Woodside Sunnyside Composting, Food Bank For New York City, and Queens Botanical Garden.

Upcoming events

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Garden Cleanup at Nehemiah Ten Community Garden

Location: Nehemiah Ten Community Garden 567 Barbey St Brooklyn NY 11207

September 24, 2023

10:00 AM - 10:00 AM

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American Legion Post Social: Canelo Alvarez Vs Dmitry Bivol

Location: Michael A Rawley Jr. American Legion Post 1636 193 9th St, Brooklyn, NY 11215 Brooklyn NY 11215

September 30, 2023 - October 1, 2023

08:00 PM - 12:00 AM

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Street clean-up with Woodside Neighborhood Association

Location: Woodside Neighborhood Association Nine Heros Plaza 76th Street and 41st Avenue Elmhurst NY 11373

September 30, 2023

01:00 PM - 04:00 PM

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Return to Bay 8th St. Community Garden

Location: Bay 84th Street 3-22 Beach 84th St Far Rockaway NY 11693

October 7, 2023

10:00 AM - 02:00 PM

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Back to New Vision Garden in Brooklyn

Location: New Vision Garden 590 Schenck Ave Brooklyn NY 11207

October 14, 2023

10:00 AM - 02:00 PM

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Oakwood Beach Cleanup

Location: NYC H2O 646 Cedar Grove Ave Staten Island NY 10306

October 21, 2023

10:00 AM - 01:00 PM

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4th Saturdays Every Month - Building Gardens @ The Lower Eastside Girls Club

Location: The Lower Eastside Girls Club 402 East 8th Street (corner of 8th Street and Avenue D in Manhattan's Alphabet City) New York NY 10009

October 28, 2023

10:00 AM - 02:00 PM

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Bronx Sunshine Garden - Walkway Build 2

Location: Bronx Sunshine Garden 1768 Bryant Ave Bronx NY 10460

October 28, 2023

11:00 AM - 03:00 PM

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Rincon Criollo Community Garden - Part 3.5 - Project Day

Location: Rincon Criollo Community Garden 749 Brook Avenue The Bronx, NY, 10451 Bronx NY 10451

November 4, 2023

11:00 AM - 03:00 PM

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Veteran's Day at Doris Miller American Legion Post 213

Location: Doris Miller American Legion Post 213 1402 8th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215 Brooklyn NY 11215

November 11, 2023

11:00 AM - 03:00 PM

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Composting with Red Hook Farms

Location: Red Hook Farms 103 Otsego Street, 11231 Brooklyn, NY Brooklyn NY 11231

December 2, 2023

10:00 AM - 01:00 PM

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Kitchen meal preparation with GLWD

Location: God's Love We Deliver 166 Avenue of the Americas New York NY 10013

December 10, 2023

01:30 PM - 04:30 PM

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Wreaths Across America - Cyprus Hills National Cemetery

Location: Cypress Hills National Cemetery 625 Jamaica Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11208 Brooklyn NY 11208

December 16, 2023

11:30 AM - 04:00 PM

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Cirque Du Soliel - T'was The Night Before

Location: The Theater at Madison Square Garden 4 Pennsylvania Plaza, New York, NY 10001 New York NY 10001

December 23, 2023

08:00 PM - 10:00 PM

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Super Bowl LVIII

Location: Walter's Cottage 500 W 43rd St, New York, NY 10036 New York NY 10036

February 11, 2024

06:00 PM - 10:00 PM

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Rincon Criollo Community Garden - Greenhouse Build - Prep Day

Location: Rincon Criollo Community Garden 749 Brook Avenue The Bronx, NY, 10451 Bronx NY 10451

April 13, 2024

11:00 AM - 03:00 PM

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Big Rock Beach stairway build event

Location: Big Rock Beach 119-6 28th Ave, Queens, NY 11354 Queens NY 11354

April 20, 2024

10:00 AM - 04:00 PM

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Rincon Criollo Community Garden - Greenhouse Build - Project Day

Location: Rincon Criollo Community Garden 749 Brook Avenue The Bronx, NY, 10451 Bronx NY 10451

April 27, 2024

11:00 AM - 03:00 PM

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Rincon Criollo Community Garden - Part 4 - Prep Day

Location: Rincon Criollo Community Garden 749 Brook Avenue The Bronx, NY, 10451 Bronx NY 10451

June 1, 2024

11:00 AM - 03:00 PM

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Rincon Criollo Community Garden - Part 4 - Project Day

Location: Rincon Criollo Community Garden 749 Brook Avenue The Bronx, NY, 10451 Bronx NY 10451

June 8, 2024

11:00 AM - 03:00 PM

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Who We Are

The Mission Continues is a national non-profit that empowers veterans to continue serving in our nation’s under-resourced communities, giving veterans the opportunity to keep serving even after the uniform comes off, right here at home. Our programs deploy veterans and volunteers to work alongside nonprofit partners and community leaders to improve educational resources, tackle food insecurity, foster neighborhood identity, and more.  

Who should volunteer?

Our service projects are for all veterans with a desire to continue their service and for all non-veterans that want to be part of a nationwide movement to transform communities. Please note, age and accessibility accommodations can be made at any project. There is room for everyone to make an impact. 

How to volunteer 

Click “Register” under the event and it will take you to the event details that will review in more detail what it entails, when and where the project is located, parking details etc.  

Then click “Attend” to fill in simple volunteer information. You will get an email confirmation and updates about this event through your choice of email and text messages

What is a Service Platoon? 

Service Platoons are your opportunity to engage and connect with veterans and community members while generating community impact in a real and tangible way. Led by veteran volunteer platoon leaders, each platoon works with dedicated community partners and volunteers to provide the manpower and support that they need to help them do their work more effectively. 

We currently have service platoons in more than 40+ cities across the country that are having events at least once a month. Everyone is invited to serve, regardless of veteran status: a service platoon is for you if you have a passion for service. 

Stories from the field

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Veterans, Volunteers, and Vibrant Community Spirit: Operation District Drilldown Concludes at Anacostia Park

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Day 4: Empowering Communities and Veterans Alike in Ward 8

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Day 3 Recap: Veterans Spark Transformation at Washington DC’s John Philip Sousa Middle School

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