City and School District to Provide Meals and Activity Space
During School Closures
PHILADELPHIA – In light of schools being closed from Monday, March 16 through Friday, March 27, the School District and City of Philadelphia today announced plans to provide meal service and drop-in activity space for students over the next two weeks.
From Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. through noon, any Philadelphia student can get up to two grab-and-go meals at the following 30 schools:
| School Meal Site | Address (and zip code) |
| Dr. Ethel Allen School | 3200 W. Lehigh Avenue (19132) |
| Add B. Anderson School | 1034 S. 60th Street (19143) |
| John Barry Elementary School | 5900 Race Street (19139) |
| Mary McLeod Bethune School | 3301 Old York Road (19140) |
| Cayuga School | 4344-4358 N. 5th Street (19140) |
| Jay Cooke Elementary School | 1300 W. Louden Street (19141) |
| William Cramp School | 3449 N. Mascher Street (19140) |
| A.L. Fitzpatrick School | 11061 Knights Road (19154) |
| Benjamin Franklin School | 5737 Rising Sun Avenue (19120) |
| Edward Gideon School | 2817 W. Glenwood Avenue (19121) |
| Andrew Hamilton School | 5640 Spruce Street (19139) |
| William H. Hunter School | 2400 N. Front Street (19133) |
| John B. Kelly School | 5116 Pulaski Street (19144) |
| Martin Luther King High School | 6100 Stenton Avenue (19138) |
| Alain Locke School | 4550 Haverford Avenue (19139) |
| William H. Loesche School | 595 Tomlinson Road (19116) |
| William C. Longstreth School | 5700 Willows Avenue (19143) |
| James R. Ludlow School | 550 W. Master Street (19122) |
| Mayfair School | 3001 Princeton Avenue (19149) |
| Delaplaine McDaniel School | 1801 S. 22nd Street (19145) |
| General George G. Meade School | 1600 N. 18th Street (19121) |
| James Rhoads School | 4901 Parrish Street (19139) |
| Roxborough High School | 6498 Ridge Avenue (19128) |
| George Sharswood School | 2300 S. 2nd Street (19148) |
| Solomon Solis-Cohen School | 7001 Horrocks Street (19149) |
| Allen M. Stearne School | 1655 Unity Street (19124) |
| James J. Sullivan School | 5300 Ditman Street (19124) |
| Tilden Middle School | 6601 Elmwood Avenue (19142) |
| Vare-Washington Elementary School | 1198 S. 5th Street (19147) |
| John H. Webster School | 3400 Frankford Avenue (19134) |
Essential personnel including a school police officer and other support staff will be on-site to distribute meals to students and families.
“We encourage any School District families interested in obtaining breakfast and lunch meals for their students to visit these meal distribution sites,” said Superintendent William R. Hite, Jr., Ed.D. “We are eager to help support families during this difficult time and urge them to take advantage of the resources provided throughout the city.”
In addition, the City will open 50 City-owned facilities, including gyms and recreation centers, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday (see list below). The sites will provide safe spaces where students can drop-in for activities, and staff will offer limited meals at 3:00 p.m. These sites will be staffed by Parks & Recreation team members, however, they should not be considered a substitute for childcare.
All other Parks & Recreation sites across Philadelphia will be closed to the public effective Monday, March 16, including environmental education centers, Carousel House, and ice rinks. Parks & Recreation’s six older adult centers will open on a regular schedule (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) for meal service.
The following 50 Parks & Recreation sites will be open to young people 18 and under for meal distribution and drop-in programming:
| Parks & Recreation Site | Address (and zip code) |
| Athletic Recreation Center | 1400 N. 26th Street (19121) |
| Belfield Recreation Center | 2109 W. Chew Avenue (19138) |
| Bridesburg Recreation Center | 4601 Richmond Street (19137) |
| Cecil B. Moore Recreation Center | 2551 N. 22nd Street (19132) |
| Christy Recreation Center | 728 S. 55th Street (19143) |
| Clemente Playground | 1800 Wallace Street (19130) |
| Cobbs Creek Recreation Center | 280 Cobbs Creek Parkway (19139) |
| Cohocksink Recreation Center | 2901 Cedar Street (19134) |
| Daniel E Rumph II Recreation Center Playground | 100 E. Johnson Street (19144) |
| Dorothy Emanuel Playground | 8500 Pickering Street (19150) |
| East Passyunk Recreation Center | 1025 Mifflin Street (19148) |
| Francis Myers Recreation Center | 5801 Kingsessing Avenue (19143) |
| Feltonville Recreation Center | 221 E Wyoming Ave # 231 (19120) |
| Fox Chase Recreation Center | 7901 Ridgeway Street (19111) |
| Gambrel Recreation Center | 1900 Wakeling Street (19124) |
| Hank Gathers Recreation Center | 2501-2519 W. Diamond Street (19121) |
| Guerin Recreation Center | 2201 S. 16th Street (19145) |
| Happy Hollow Playground | 4800 Wayne Avenue (19144) |
| Hawthorne Cultural Center | 1200 Carpenter Street (19147) |
| Houseman Playground | 5091 Summerdale Avenue (19124) |
| J. Finnegan Playground | 6801 Grovers Avenue (19142) |
| Jardel Recreation Center | 1400 Cottman Avenue (19111) |
| Kendrick Recreation Center | 5822-5824 Ridge Avenue (19128) |
| Kingsessing Recreation Center | 4901 Kingsessing Avenue (19143) |
| Lawncrest Recreation Center | 6000 Rising Sun Avenue (19111) |
| Lee Cultural Center | 328 Haverford Avenue (19104) |
| Lonnie Young Recreation Center | 1100 E. Chelten Avenue (19138) |
| Marian Anderson Recreation Center | 740 S. 17th Street (19146) |
| Max Meyers Recreation Center | 1601 Hellerman Street (19149) |
| McVeigh Recreation Center | 400-464 E. Ontario Street (19134) |
| Miles Mack Playground | 732 N. 36th St #66 (19104) |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center | 2101 Cecil B. Moore Avenue (19121) |
| Murphy Recreation Center | 300 Shunk Street (19148) |
| Olney Recreation Center | 100 E. Godfrey Avenue (19120) |
| Palmer Playground | 3035 Comly Road (19154) |
| Palumbo Recreation Center | 725 S. 10th Street (19147) |
| Pelbano Recreation Center | 8101 Bustleton Avenue (19152) |
| Piccoli Playground | 1501 E. Bristol Street (19124) |
| Rivera Recreation Center | 3201 N. 5th Street (19140) |
| Samuel Recreation Center | 3539 Gaul St, Philadelphia, PA 19134 |
| Shepard Recreation Center | 5700 Haverford Avenue (19131) |
| Simons Recreation Center | 7200 Woolston Avenue (19138) |
| Starr Garden Playground | 600-644 Lombard Street (19147) |
| Towey Playground | 1832 N. Howard St., Philadelphia, PA, 19122 |
| Tustin Recreation Center | 5901-5929 W. Columbia Avenue (19151) |
| Vare Recreation Center | 2600 Morris Street (19145) |
| Vogt Playground | 4131 Unruh Avenue (19135) |
| Water Tower Recreation Center | 209-299 E. Hartwell Lane (19118) |
| Wharton Square | 2300 Wharton Street (19146) |
| Zeihler Playground | 200-264 E. Olney Avenue (19120) |
“No child should go hungry because they are not in school,” said Mayor Jim Kenney. “The City and School District will continue to do everything we can to make sure our students’ basic needs are met during this challenging time. I ask Philadelphians to continue looking out for one another by sharing resources like this with their loved ones and neighbors.”
Meal and activity sites were selected based on neighborhood needs, size of facilities, and a desire to be geographically spread throughout the city. Again, other than the sites listed above, all other Parks & Recreation sites across the City will be closed to the public effective Monday, March 16.
A full list of meal sites and activity spaces is available at phila.gov and a map is available at http://bit.ly/youth-meal-sites.
Health Dept. update: The Philadelphia Department of Public Health announced one additional presumptive positive case of COVID-19 in Philadelphia, bringing the total so far to four. The City is awaiting test results on 56 other cases.
Libraries: To comply with the Governor’s statewide closure of libraries, all branches of the Philadelphia Free Library are closed to the public effective today. All staff members should report to work on their regular schedules.
Residents with questions can call the Greater Philadelphia Coronavirus Helpline at 1800-722-7112. The Helpline, free and available 24/7, is staffed by trained healthcare providers and is for anyone in the Greater Philadelphia area, including the public and healthcare providers, to help answer all of their questions about the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Residents can get COVID-19 updates sent to their phones. Text COVIDPHL to 888-777 to receive free alerts with information and updates from the Health Department. Information is also being updated daily on the Philadelphia Department of Public Health’s webpage www.phila.gov/covid-19.
Notes to media: Due to the volume of press requests related to COVID-19, members of the media are asked to send all City-related questions to press@phila.gov.
Until further notice, City officials will continue to update the press every day, including weekends, at 1:00 p.m. These briefings will take place at the Emergency Operations Center, located at the Fire Administration Building lobby, 240 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123.