Community Spotlights

How to support the Philadelphia parks and rec budget

by Melissa Romero on June 8, 2020

It’s clear that Philadelphia’s public spaces are essential. During this pandemic, Philly parks have been here for Philadelphians and will continue to be a refuge for those seeking solace this summer and beyond.

But parks and rec centers need friends now more than ever – the Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Department currently faces a 20 percent cut to their already underfunded budget.  (View budget breakdown here.)

That means a drastic reduction in funding for the basic, essential services that Parks & Recreation provides year-round: free programming in parks and at recreation centers, free food distribution (serving nearly 2,000,000 meals/year), park maintenance, and much, much more.

Today, we ask to you to join us and show your support for Philly parks:

  • WATCH the Budget Hearings and Testimonials on TUESDAY, JUNE 9th: View the full agenda here. The hearings can be viewed live here. If you are interested in giving testimony in support of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, call 215-686-3407, or send an e-mail to budget.hearings@phila.gov by 3 p.m. the day before (Monday, June 8th). View instructions here.
  • SHARE YOUR SUPPORT: On social media, share a photo of you or loved ones enjoying your local park and tag your City Council member.  View social media handles below:

  • CALL OR EMAIL CITY COUNCIL: Call your City Council members and let them know how important funding for our parks and rec centers is! You can go to live.cicerodata.com to find out who your Councilmembers are and find their phone numbers.
  • SIGN THIS OPEN LETTER: We invite additional organizations to sign onto a coalition of parks groups, Recreation Advisory Councils and Out of School Time providers who support funding the essential services that Parks & Rec provides.