Volunteer registration is officially open for Philly’s Fall 2023 Love Your Park weekend. From Friday, November 10 to Sunday, November 12, over 90 Philly parks need help planting trees and flower bulbs, collecting leaves for compost, and preparing for the winter season.
Here’s everything you need to know:
What is Love Your Park?
Each spring and fall, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, Fairmount Park Conservancy, and Park Friends Groups across the city team up and host volunteer events for Love Your Park. Every fall, the focus is on leaf raking and tree plantings. All the leaves that are raked are picked up and turned into compost at the Fairmount Park Recycling center.
The Park Friends Network is made up of over 140 community-run Park Friends Groups that work together to make our public parks vibrant, inviting, and active public spaces. And this year we are celebrating the 30th Anniversary of this amazing network of Park Friends Groups! The Network has grown so much since it originally began with 4 groups in 1993, and Love Your Park volunteer events are a great way to meet your local group and learn more about how to get involved!
Where is Love Your Park and how do I sign up?
Over 90 parks across the city host volunteer events, so there are many opportunities to get involved!
Check the list of all the participating parks, find the park you want to volunteer at, and then click the button to register. Most clean-ups are happening on November 11th, 2023.
This year’s fall signature site will be Wissinoming Park in Northeast Philadelphia on Saturday, November 11, 2023.
Why volunteer at Philly parks?
About 95% of all Philadelphians live within half a mile of a park, but they need our help. Spending time in parks promotes physical and mental health and volunteering at them helps maintain their beauty and functionality.
While picking up debris and trash from the parks helps the current state of our green spaces and local drinking water, planting trees helps the future state of Philly parks, too. Trees are natural air purifiers and absorb carbon dioxide in our environment.
By volunteering, you’re helping the parks and the incredible members of the Park Friends Network who work endlessly in our green spaces. Any help is greatly appreciated.
What if I’m busy that weekend?
While you’ll be missed, don’t fret! There are opportunities to volunteer in Philly parks year-round:
- Our amazing Park Friends Groups across the city host volunteer clean-ups and events all throughout the year. Click here to find your local Park Friends Group.
- Fairmount Park Conservancy also hosts weekly volunteer work days throughout the year. Click here for the list of dates and locations.
- Show your support by making a donation to Fairmount Park Conservancy. Funds raised will support programs and projects like Love Your Park throughout Philly’s park system.
For regular updates, sign up for our email newsletter and follow Fairmount Park Conservancy on social media at @myphillypark on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Love Your Park is made possible with the support of the Knight Foundation, PECO, and TD Bank
Photography by Albert Yee
