NBC’s “Parks and Recreation” special was designed to raise funds for coronavirus relief and viewers can continue donating through May 21. Critics loved last night’s heartfelt “Parks and Recreation” reunion special, and the one-off episode has enjoyed early success in its mission to raise funds for charity.
The special has raised $3 million for Feeding America’s COVID-19 Relief Fund, according to NBC.
Last night’s telecast of “A Parks and Recreation Special,” sponsored by State Farm and Subaru of America, has currently raised $3 million for Feeding America. That statistic includes the $500,000 in matching donations from State Farm, Subaru of America, NBCUniversal and the producers, writers, and cast of “Parks and Recreation.”
While the special served as a much-welcome reunion for Pawnee’s beloved characters, it was specifically designed to raise funds for coronavirus relief. Paul Rudd opened the special with a bit that was both in-character and fourth-wall-breaking, where he implored viewers to donate to Feeding America. Popups for the charity appeared throughout the episode, which closed with Amy Poehler echoing the importance of donating to Feeding America and other charities involved with coronavirus relief.
Though the circumstances leading to the reunion were grim, the “Parks and Recreation” special was a consistently uplifting and entertaining affair that earned widespread praise from television critics. IndieWire’s Ben Travers chose to eschew a traditional review format, instead of shaping his write-up as a recap of the episode’s best moments that deserved extra donations.
“It’s fun. I loved it. Spending 30 minutes visiting these fake characters who I haven’t seen in five years ranked right up there with many of my Zoom calls to friends and family who I haven’t seen in what feels like five years,” Travers said in his episode coverage. “And really, at the end of the day, there’s no point in breaking down the pros and cons of a fundraiser meant to help people by raising much-needed donations for Feeding America and relieving audiences from their worries for 30 minutes. What matters is a) donating — so you better donate, and b) maintaining the joyful feeling brought about by the reunion.”
