Father and son mobilize to restore Mott Haven lot and host back-to-school backpack giveaway

Kelvin Manzanette, founder of Solar Legacy Productions LLC, told a radio interviewer that he and his father have been working for years to clean and revitalize a vacant backyard at 100 and 42nd Street and Brook Avenue in the Mott Haven section of the South Bronx. He said the cleanup began as a small, hands-on effort — "we called it the back. It's a backyard" — and has expanded into a plan that includes a back-to-school backpack giveaway and hopes for a playground investment with help from local partners.

"I just wanna give the kids, an opportunity to, you know, have some fun," Manzanette said, citing concern that children spend too much time on electronic devices. He credited the Akashu Network for providing an opportunity that could attract funding, and said he has personally pressed the community board and local officials to recognize his father's contributions to the neighborhood. Manzanette said he has sought signatures and the backing of local leaders; he told the show that "Senator Diaz, he agreed to write a recommendation for him." The interview did not include a specific date for the giveaway; Manzanette said flyers and updates would be posted to his social pages.

The project grew out of the elder Montanette's long history of community work, the guests said, and the restoration effort is intended to revive a space they described as looking "like a cemetery" before volunteers removed weeds and trash. The segment closed with the hosts and guests urging listeners to check the group's social pages for more information and promising further outreach and images from the archive and the cleanup effort.