The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) announced yesterday that they are closing all 113 schools in the city as of Monday for three weeks, the last week being their scheduled spring break. As a result, SFUSD will now supply free student meals during the two-week closure prompted by COVID-19.
This will be a great relief for those low-income families who depend on their children's schools to provide breakfast and lunch five days a week.
As reported on by KRON4, the SFUSD will open eight pickup sites across San Francisco starting March 17th that will provide both breakfast and lunch meals for students, with another six locations opening the next day.
If you or your organization are able, you can donate to support @SFUSDSchoolFood student meals at https://t.co/7vK5lfHNho
— SF public schools (@SFUnified) March 13, 2020
You can also donate to @SFMFoodBank at https://t.co/0b6Vk0Y4rl
Thank you to all who are continuing to support our students and families! #WeAreSFUSD
“We are committed to continuing to provide healthy meals for our students over the next several weeks while students are not in school,” said SFUSD Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews to the news outlet. “We are grateful for the support we already receive to make this happen, and would appreciate additional support from the community to help us keep our students fed.”
SFUSD is working in tandem with the SF Department of Emergency Management, the Red Cross, and the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank to ensure these pickup sights are both appropriately stocked and run without hiccups. KRON4 also noted that those pickup sites may offer adults the opportunity to gather groceries.
“Now, more than ever, it is important that we are able to get healthy food out to the community,” said San Francisco-Marin Food Bank Executive Director Paul Ash to KRON4's Peter Snarr. “We are collaborating closely with SFUSD and will be working to provide food pantry distributions at all of the sites that remain open.”
Starting Monday, SF public libraries and Rec and Park facilities will be closed to the public and will provide child care to the children of health care workers and low-income families. 8am-6pm Monday through Friday.
— Matt Haney (@MattHaneySF) March 13, 2020
Beginning Monday too, all San Francisco public libraries and recreational and park facilities will close to the public. However, in lieu of common access, those places are to operate as emergency care centers — which includes child care for healthcare workers and low-income families — from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Currently, the Chronicle notes that there are 277 confirmed COVID-19 cases in California, 165 of those in the Bay Area alone.
SFUSD classes are expected to start again April 3rd.
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Image: Wikimedia Commons
