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Man Sets Out To Mow Lawns In 50 States For People In Need

HUNTSVILLE, AL (CBS Local) - An Alabama man wants to make a difference this summer, one lawn at a time.

"I'm on a journey called '50 States, 50 Lawns,'" Rodney Smith Jr. said, via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The founder of Raising Men Lawn Care Service started mowing lawns for those in need three years ago after seeing a neighbor in Huntsville struggling to cut his grass.

"I pulled over and helped him out," Smith told WTTV. "That night, I decided to mow free lawns."

Since then, Smith's charitable service has been working to help the elderly, disabled people, veterans, and single parents take care of their lawn care issues. He's reportedly mowed over 2,000 lawns all over the nation since 2015 and hasn't charged a single dime.

"I have come across so many elderly people who have to use their funds to get their grass cut because if they don't, they'll get fined by the city," Smith explained. "When we can come cut it for free, they can use those funds for medication and things they really need."

Raising Men is now taking their lawn mowing on the road as Smith aims to help people in all 50 states before the end of the summer. He's already made stops in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Missouri and has posted the remainder of his lawn cutting schedule on Twitter.

Smith isn't alone in his work. Several kids across the U.S. have accepted Raising Men's "50-yard challenge," which encourages young people to help 50 people in need with their lawn care. "Once they reach 50, we fly to them and we do lawns with them and we also surprise them with a brand new lawn mower," the organization's founder added.

"We're teaching them responsibility, we're teaching them how good it feels to give back to the community." Smith plans to complete his 50-state journey by mowing the grass in Hawaii on July 16.

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