LaGuardia Student Turns Thanksgiving into a Block Party in The Bronx
LONG ISLAND CITY, NY (November 26, 2025) — For Madeline Marinez—known to many as Maddie—Thanksgiving isn’t about staying home. It’s about showing up for the community. This year, the LaGuardia Community College/CUNY student is hosting ThanksHOOD Giving, a block-wide celebration in The Bronx that will bring neighbors together for a day of food, love, and solidarity. The celebration is hosted by the organization Marinez founded to fight food insecurity in her community, Boots on the Ground Inc. (B.O.G.).
“B.O.G. is showing up and showing out for the community this Thanksgiving,” says Marinez. “I’m taking up a whole block—right where I usually serve breakfast on 149th Street and 3rd Avenue. It’s called ThanksHOOD Giving, and we’re getting food catered and having a potluck where people from the community will bring dishes, drinks, and desserts.”
For Marinez, this celebration is deeply personal. “It is going to be big,” she says. “My mom will be out there and my brothers. We’re spending it with the hood outside, spreading love and coming together as a community. I am excited!”
Marinez says her experiences shaped her understanding of hardship and resilience. At 35, the Bronx-born Dominican American is completing her degree in Human Services: Mental Health at LaGuardia—a journey that was interrupted by years of personal challenges.
“I started my journey at LaGuardia back in 2009,” recalls Marinez, the first in her family to attend college. “But I became a teen mom and single mom shortly after I enrolled.”
Shortly after having her oldest daughter, Angel (16), she joined the U.S. Military, serving in Afghanistan from 2013 to 2014 as a diesel engine mechanic and member of the Quick Response Team. After completing her service, she battled substance use, experienced homelessness, and worked as a sex worker out of survival—all while raising Angel and daughter Gabriella (8).
“Fast forward to today—this is my last semester at LaGuardia. I have been in recovery for 16 months, and it takes work every day, but it is so worth it in the end,” says Marinez, who re-enrolled at LaGuardia in Fall 2024. “I know how easy it is to fall on hard times and need a helping hand. Everybody deserves a hot meal, regardless of their situation.”
That belief inspired Boots on the Ground Inc. “B.O.G. has always been my dream,” she says. “As a little girl, I was always very aware of the issues that plagued our communities. I knew I always wanted to help people one way or another.”
What began as “free cups of love”—hot oatmeal and croissants served from a small cart—has grown into a full-scale operation distributing 200–300 breakfasts every Saturday in the Bronx. “Now we serve a full-blown breakfast,” Marinez says proudly. “We’re awaiting our 501(c)(3) status, and I have a big vision for B.O.G. We’ll expand to other boroughs and work with communities and organizations doing similar work.”
Her efforts have drawn attention beyond LaGuardia. Recently featured on News12 Bronx (watch here), B.O.G. is funded entirely by community donations and local support. Marinez documents her outreach on TikTok, where her videos caught the eye of Yanira Ortiz, staff member with LaGuardia’s Community Health and Wellness Department, sparking a collaboration to extend aid efforts to Brooklyn.
“It’s an example of two members of our LaGuardia community—student and staff—working together to help the community,” says Dr. Juline Koken, Professor and Director of LaGuardia’s Human Services: Mental Health program. “Madeline is truly setting an example for our program. I’m so proud of all she’s doing!”
Despite her packed schedule, Marinez remains deeply connected to LaGuardia. “I’ve learned so much here, and I’m grateful to have met such wonderful professors who helped me along in my studies,” she says. “What’s always stood out to me about LaGuardia is its diversity. It’s rich in culture from all different countries. I genuinely LOVE that about my school and New York City. I feel seen and like I am a part of something big here at LaGuardia.”
“I don’t know exactly what the future holds, but I’m excited for the journey ahead,” Marinez says. “I trust the process, the Most High, and the universe that everything will work out in my favor.”
Marinez plans to finish her LaGuardia degree after the fall semester and plans to transfer to Hunter College this spring to begin working towards her bachelor’s and master’s in social work.
“One day,” Marinez says, “I hope to come back and teach at LaGuardia, the school that gave me their all.”
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LaGuardia Community College (LAGCC), a Hispanic-Serving Institution, located in Long Island City, Queens offers more than 50 associate degrees and academic certificates, and more than 65 continuing education programs to prepare New Yorkers for transfer to senior colleges and rewarding jobs and careers. An institution of the City University of New York (CUNY), the College reflects the legacy of our namesake, Fiorello H. LaGuardia, the former NYC mayor beloved for his advocacy of the underserved. Since 1971, LaGuardia’s academic programs and support services have advanced the socioeconomic mobility of students from Queens, NYC and beyond.
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