Philadelphia's Love Your Park week sees hundreds of volunteers in massive park clean-up

WEST PHILADELPHIA - Hundreds of volunteers all across Philadelphia took part in a massive clean-up to help launch the unofficial start of the park season in Philly.Kathryn Ott Lovell is the Commissioner for Philadelphia Parks and Recreation and she says this truly is a grassroots effort."We are so grateful to our thousands of park friends, regular residents who just come out of their homes and, not just today, but every day of the year and just love their parks," Lovell said.Morgan Doyle is a Brewerytown resident, but came Saturday to do her part, not just with the cleanup, but also with impacting climate change, in a positive manner. "Coming and planting trees, removing invasive species, cleaning up trash – those things make me feel a little less stressed about the doom and gloom of climate change."Philadelphia has one of the most robust park systems in the nation and Lovell says we’re very fortunate."Philadelphia parks make up about 11 percent of our city’s total land mass, so that’s really incredible for a city our size," Lovell explained. "We also have 90 percent of our residents that live within walking distance of a park."Democratic Mayoral candidate Helen Gym was also present Saturday.

She says she’s always advocated for parks and will do so even more if elected mayor. "Parks are central to what it means to have a livable Philadelphia and that’s what I’m running for.

A livable city that meets the needs of its residents, but, most importantly, celebrates community."More information on Philadelphia’s parks can be found at the city’s Park and Rec website, where a great many resources can be found, including how to find a local park..