Slice after slice after slice, Marty Rogers and his team prepare meals for the South Bronx's neediest residents.

"I hope they're happy and I hope it brightens up their day," Rogers said.

What You Need To Know

  • Marty Rogers and his team of volunteers distribute meals in Melrose and Mott Haven three times a week. They prepare more than 30 sandwiches each time

  • Rogers fought to reopen a Melrose firehouse after the City closed it in the 80s. He convinced Mayor Dinkins to bring it back

  • He also founded the "Take Back the Hub" campaign to stop people from doing heroin at a major community transportation center

He volunteers with neighbors from local schools, the nearby Bronx Documentary Center and even other boroughs. Rogers and the team have been at this for quite some time now. They started distributing meals in the area last April. They walk around the area three times a week, handing out at least 30 meals each time. 

Members of the community sponsor the expeditions. They call the trips "Hope Walks."

"That's human nature, to step up and try to do something to help our brothers and sisters who are going through a rough patch right now," Rogers said. 

Rogers has been looking out for his native Melrose for decades. After Mayor Koch closed down the firehouse on East 150th Street in the 80s, Rogers convinced the newly minted Mayor Dinkins to bring it back. He even handcuffed himself to a firetruck in protest.

"This is the South Bronx,” Rogers said. “We burnt down. We burnt down. Harlem burnt down. So why would you choose this house to close?"

And four years ago, Rogers launched the "Take Back the Hub" campaign. The goal is to root out heroin at the major transportation center and clean it up.

"The Hub became the hub of heroin,” Rogers recalled. “So we wrote on the sidewalk 'Welcome to the Hub of Heroin.' You want to buy heroin? Right there across the street."

Nowadays, Rogers shows his dedication to the Bronx through providing sandwiches and prayer.

People receiving those meals say they appreciate the gesture.

"We really appreciate it,” said Matthew, who lives in an encampment. “It's hard out of here for the homeless to get food. And when someone with a big, kind heart comes by and does this, it really fills us up with joy. "

"It's a crazy, crazy, crazy world,” Rogers said. “And it's a crazy scene here sometimes. But we try to slow life down. Remember somebody's name. Offer them a drink and treat them with dignity.

For continuing to care for the South Bronx decade after decade and meal after meal, Marty Rogers is our New Yorker of the Week.