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School District of Philadelphia to Offer Free Meals for Students During Closures

Find free meal service in safe spaces throughout the city on the days that schools are closed.

UPDATE: This has been updated for the week of March 23, with a modified schedule and locations. Please see below for changes.


 

Part of the concern about closing schools amidst this COVID-19 coronavirus emergency was the issue of food insecurity. Because it is a Title I district (meaning that a large percentage of students live at or below the poverty level), all students in the School District of Philadelphia are offered breakfast and lunch at no cost every school day, regardless of their individual household incomes. This breaks down barriers some parents may face in applying for relief, and the stigma kids face at other schools where “school lunch debt” becomes a shaming mechanism. The fact that closing schools to prevent the spread of an unprecedented virus could leave children hungry across the city was a grim reality to address.

 

The School District—along with the City’s Office of Children and Families, Parks & Recreation, and many other departments and nonprofit partners—announced that they will be providing meal service in safe spaces throughout the city on the days that schools are closed. You can find an interactive map here, or read below for the list of sites for meals. The city is working with nonprofit partners to identify food pantries and meal sites that are open on weekends as well, so check back for updates.

 

District schools open Mondays and Thursdays, 9 am – noon.

Families will receive six meals per student—3 breakfasts and 3 lunches:

School Address (Zip)
Baldi Middle School 8801 Verree Rd (19115)
Barry, John Elementary School 5900 Race St (19139)
Barton School 4600 Rosehill St (19120)
Bartram, John High School 2401 S 67th St (19142)
Bethune, Mary McLeod School 3301 Old York Rd (19140)
CAPA (Philadelphia H.S. for Creative and Performing Arts) 901 S Broad St (19147)
Clemente, Roberto Middle School 122 W Erie Ave (19140)
Comegys, Benjamin B. School 5100 Greenway Ave (19143)
Conwell, Russell Middle School 1849 E Clearfield St (19134)
Cooke, Jay Elementary School 1300 W Louden St (19141)
Cramp, William School 3449 N Mascher St (19140)
De Burgos, J. Elementary School 401 W Lehigh Ave (19133)
Decatur, Stephen School 3500 Academy Rd (19154)
Duckrey, Tanner School 1501 W Diamond St (19121)
Edison, Thomas A. High School 151 W Luzerne St (19140)
Fels, Samuel High School 5500 Langdon St (19124)
Finletter, Thomas K. School 6100 N Front St (19120)
Fitzpatrick, A. L. School 11061 Knights Rd (19154)
Frankford High School 5000 Oxford Ave (19124)
Franklin Learning Center 616 N 15th St (19130)
Franklin, Benjamin School 5737 Rising Sun Ave (19120)
Furness, Horace High School 1900 S 3rd St (19148)
Hackett, Horatio B. School 2161 E York St (19125)
Harding, Warren G. Middle School 2000 Wakeling St (19124)
Hunter, William H. School 2400 N Front St (19133)
Juniata Park Academy 801 E Hunting Park Ave (19124)
Kelly, John B. School 5116 Pulaski Ave (19144)
Kensington CAPA 1901 N Front St (19122)
King, Martin Luther High School 6100 Stenton Ave (19138)
Lawton, Henry W. School 6101 Jackson St (19135)
Lincoln, Abraham High School 3201 Ryan Ave (19136)
Loesche, William H. School 595 Tomlinson Rd (19116)
Marshall, Thurgood School 5120 N 6th St (19120)
Mayfair School 3001 Princeton Ave (19149)
Muñoz Marín, Hon Luis School 3300 N 3rd St (19140)
Northeast High School 1601 Cottman Ave (19111)
One Bright Ray Mansion 3133 Ridge Ave (19132)
Overbrook Educational Center 6722 Lansdowne Ave (19151)
Philadelphia Learning Academy‐South 4300 Westminster Ave (19104)
Rhodes Elementary School 2900 W Clearfield St (19132)
Roosevelt Elementary School 430 E Washington Ln (19144)
Roxborough High School 6498 Ridge Ave (19128)
Sayre, William L. High School 5800 Walnut St (19139)
South Philadelphia High School 2101 S Broad St (19148)
Wagner, Gen. Louis Middle School 1701 Chelten Ave (19126)
Washington, Grover Jr. Middle School 201 E Olney Ave (19120)
Webster, John H. School 3400 Frankford Ave (19134)
West Philadelphia High School 4901 Chestnut St (19139)
Ziegler, William H. School 5935 Saul St (19149)

 

In addition to these sites, various charter schools throughout the city will be open from 9 am – noon on varying days. See the city’s interactive map for details.

 

The Philadelphia Housing Authority has six community centers open for “grab-and-go” meals for breakfast and lunch from Monday through Friday, 9 am to noon beginning on March 23.

PHA Community Center Address (Zip)
Abbottsford Homes 3226 McMichael Street (19129)
Bartram Village 5404 Gibson Drive (19143)
John F Street Center 1100 Poplar Street (19123)
Raymond Rosen Homes 2301 W. Edgley Street (19121)
Westpark Apartments 300 N. Busti Street (19104)
Wilson Park 2500 Jackson Street (19145)

 

 

 

Contributing Writer

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