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Veteran-founded Boots on the Ground feeds neighbors with weekly Saturday breakfasts
Summary
Maddie Marnes, an army veteran and founder of Boots on the Ground, described on Open how her recovery from addiction and a period of homelessness led her to start weekly free breakfasts at 149th and 3rd Avenue in the South Bronx.
Maddie Marnes, founder of the nonprofit Boots on the Ground and an army veteran, told host Moderator on the program Open that the outreach grew out of her own post-service struggles. "I struggled with substance use for 14 years after that," Marnes said, linking her recovery to launching the group.
Marnes said Boots on the Ground serves people every Saturday and is located at 149th and 3rd Avenue in the Bronx, with service beginning at 08:00. She described the work as both feeding neighbors and offering emotional support: "We get moms with kids, dads with kids, we get elderly, we get people that are disabled," she said. Marnes also described scaling plans across New York City boroughs and invited listeners to follow Boots on Ground NYC on Instagram and TikTok.
