WASHINGTON — Chris Cox, often referred to as the “lawnmower man,” received a donated chainsaw Wednesday afternoon at the Lincoln Memorial in recognition of his efforts to maintain the memorial’s grass during the government shutdown.
(Photo: Katie Howland)
He became a national phenomenon last month as pictures of the man mowing the lawn and cleaning the National Mall before the Million Vet March flooded Twitter.
“I didn’t do this for the money or for any recognition,” Cox said. “If your granddaddy’s grass needed cutting, you would go out and help him, wouldn’t you?”
A crowd funding site “Crowd it Forward” also gave Cox $1,701 from donations around the country, which he used to to pay for parking tickets and equipment damages. (RELATED: A unique press pitch: Watch us give this man a chainsaw!)
All future donations will help feed homeless veterans in D.C.
“I thought, this is the perfect opportunity for us to do something for someone who’s doing something inspiring,” said founder Kendall Almerico.
“The chainsaw and money will be used to help disabled vets,” Cox added. “I want to build a team of people around the country to help veterans like those who can’t fix their garbage disposal, or cut their lawn.”
Over 1800 people joined the “memorial militia,” which was a one-man show only a month ago.
(Photo: Katie Howland)