The Parks and Recreation special that aired on NBC Thursday night was good for a number of reasons. It reunited the entire main cast, plus a number of supporting faves. It gave nationwide quarantiners something fun and heartwarming to watch, relieving boredom and, during its sing-along finale, making untold viewers weep with joy. And it raised a ton of money for the charity Feeding America — some $3 million so far, to be exact.
Variety first reported Friday afternoon that the special — which found its cast recording from their homes, returning to characters that haven’t been on television since the 2017 series finale — had raised $2.8 million for the charity, which seeks to help the hungry during the pandemic. As per IndieWire, that number has since ballooned even higher. That tally includes not only the amount raised by viewers, but also the $500,000 in matching donations from State Farm, Subaru of America, NBCUniversal, and the show’s cast and crew.
The Parks and Recreation special not only managed to wrangle up the entire main cast — although first and second season regular Paul Schneider (Mark Brandanawicz) and late period scene-stealer/shouter Billy Eichner (Craig Middlebrooks) were MIA — but also favorites like Megan Mullally (Tammy II), Jon Glaser (Councilman Jamm), Mo Collins (Joan Callamezzo), Jay Jackson (Perd Hapley), and more. It even opened with a surprise, gifting us with the return of Paul Rudd, aka bozo rich kid-turned-politico Bobby Newport.
Anyone who still wants to donate to Feeding America can do so here.
