Temperatures may have dipped, but there's still plenty of work to be done in Mott Haven's Brook Park.

Daniel Chervoni is a retired Bronx native who’s spent just about every morning for the last 30 years doing the same routine.

"I've been out here since this morning. I do my chores. I take care of my chickens, I feed the cats, I clean the sidewalks," Chervoni said.

Brook Park used to be overgrown, dirty, and underutilized before he started caring for it in 1989.

Now, it's a community garden, a social hang-out, and a place for kids to learn.

"I went to sleep one day, woke up, and it was like, you know something needs to be done with this space,” Chervoni said. “Next thing I know, I become a gardener, a farmer, a bee keeper, a chicken man! And I enjoy it, I love it."

Chervoni says he wasn't born with a green thumb. In fact, he took classes to learn how to care for the park.

Now, garden boxes line the space and garlic grows in the greenhouse. Chickens lay fresh eggs for local residents to enjoy. And during warmer months, Chervoni tends to the beehive. Local school kids are invited to help out, too.

"This is a garden where kids can learn about Mother Earth,” Chervoni said. “Like how to plant vegetables, where do eggs come from, fruit trees, why honey bees are so important. We need more spaces like this in every borough."

Chervoni's work in the neighborhood extends beyond Brook Park: He shovels for elderly residents when snow falls, and he's a community advocate, one who keeps the city on its toes when something doesn't seem right.

"I tell people, if you see something, like garbage or cracked sidewalks, or whatever, illegal dumping, call 311, and it helps the community," Chervoni said.

Many say he's a needed voice for the neighborhood, including Marco Saavedra, who said, “He’s definitely a caretaker and it’s all for the betterment of the community.”

That’s a role Chervoni is happy to take on. "I get the enjoyment of seeing people smile and laugh and getting to help other people less fortunate than me."

So, for helping his community blossom, Daniel Chervoni is our New Yorker of the Week.