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
Choose your dates
All Events
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
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

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
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
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
Oakwood Beach Cleanup
Location: NYC H2O 646 Cedar Grove Ave Staten Island NY 10306
October 21, 2023
10:00 AM - 01:00 PM
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
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

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
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

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

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
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
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

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

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

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

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

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

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
Platoon Leadership Team
Daquane Mays
Platoon Leader
Troy Mack
Platoon Leader

Wesley Huang
Platoon Leader

Lawrence Ksiez
Platoon Leader
Additional Team Members

Nancy Wu
Communications Coordinator

John J Gaviria Jr
Veteran Resource Coordinator
Shanay Fisher
Social Engagement Coordinator

Marcos Dominguez
Project Coordinator
Rodney Lugo
Communications Coordinator