Pershing Field Garden Friends: The Volunteers Behind a Jersey City Heights Park

Some of the best parks in Hudson County, NJ are kept beautiful by neighbors who simply show up with gloves and a shovel. In the Jersey City Heights, that group is Pershing Field Garden Friends, a 100% volunteer nonprofit that has been caring for the gardens and memorials of Pershing Field Park since 2003.

Our team spent time with the group’s official site and its 2025 recap to learn what the Garden Friends do, what they accomplished last year and how you can pitch in this season.

Pershing Field Garden Friends at a Glance

• Who they are: a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 2003 and run entirely by volunteers
• Where: Pershing Field Park, 201 Central Avenue, Jersey City Heights
• What they care for: the park’s gardens plus its Vietnam Veterans, Korean War and WWII memorials, the America Triumphant WWI statue and the Fourth Regiment Arch
• How to reach them: team@pershingfield.org
• Website: pershingfield.org

Caring for a Park Full of History

Pershing Field is more than ball fields and a track. The park holds a cluster of memorials, and the Garden Friends have helped look after them for more than two decades. According to the group, the America Triumphant WWI statue was restored in 2008 and the Fourth Regiment Arch, the stone entrance pictured above, was restored in 2011. The group is also a founding member of the Jersey City Parks Coalition, which brings friends groups from across the city together.

What the Volunteers Did in 2025

The Garden Friends’ 2025 recap shows how much a small volunteer crew can do in a year:

• Rose pruning and ongoing care for the playground gardens
• The Mangini Pollinator Garden, funded by a grant from ANJEC and the Jersey City Environmental Commission
• 500 native plant plugs and 2 shrubs from the Xerces Society
• A National Moth Night program with Dr. Kelly Zimmerman
• Mulch Madness with Jersey City Parks
• A Fall Festival supported by AT&T Pioneers, Liberty Sword Club, Patrick Ambrossi and the Jersey City Office of Cultural Affairs
• Yoga in the park with Meraki Yoga

The group’s Fall Festival returned this year on October 24 with face painting, crafts and a costume parade, which we featured in our Jersey City weekend guide.

How to Volunteer or Donate

Volunteer days are announced on the group’s Instagram and Facebook pages and by email, so the easiest first step is to visit the volunteer page or write to team@pershingfield.org to get on the list. No gardening experience is needed, and fall cleanups are a great way to meet neighbors.

If you would rather give, the Garden Friends offer monthly giving tiers: $5 a month as a Gardener, $10 as a Nature Lover and $25 as a Protector. Every dollar goes back into a park that thousands of Heights residents use every week.

Make a Day of It This Season

Pershing Field is also home to the Charlie Heger Ice Rink. The city’s recreation page lists the rink as opening in November 2026, with public hours on Fridays from 4 to 7:30 p.m. and weekends from 2 to 7:30 p.m. Admission for Jersey City residents is $3 for adults, $2 for kids and $1 for seniors, and $5, $3 and $2 for non-residents.

Want more green space? See our guide to Hudson County waterfront parks, browse things to do in Hudson County in November and check this weekend’s Hudson County events.

Celebrate the People Who Keep Our Parks Green

Groups like Pershing Field Garden Friends are what make Hudson County neighborhoods feel like home. Meet more local groups doing good in our list of 10 Jersey City nonprofits to know. Know a friends group or volunteer crew we should feature next? Tell us, and subscribe to the Shop Hudson County newsletter for weekly local stories and events.

Featured photo: Jim.henderson, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.