Following yesterday's announcement that the San Francisco Unified School District would be closing all schools for three weeks to help slow the spread of COVID-19, the school district answered one question looming large on many parents' minds: how to care for the many students who only have access to one square meal a day — those they get at school.
.@SFUSDSchoolFood will continue to provide free meals to all students who need them during the temporary closure of schools. We're collaborating with @SFMFoodBank & exploring option of co-locating food pantries where students will receive free meals: https://t.co/w2Ug4LfiCu
— SF public schools (@SFUnified) March 13, 2020
Starting Tuesday, March 17, free breakfasts and lunches will be available to children 18 and younger across the city. No identification or proof of enrollment is required.
The pickup sites open at 9 or 9:30 a.m., and include Washington High School, Roosevelt Middle School, Galileo High School, Brown Middle School, Jordan High School, Denman Middle School, A. P. Giannini Middle School, Francisco Middle School, Lincoln High School, Wallenberg High School, San Francisco International High School, Mission High School, Lick Middle School, and Bret Harte Elementary.
The other piece of the puzzle for many of the city's most vulnerable or low-income students is daytime child care.
San Francisco Recreation & Park Department announced today that effective Monday, March 16 and through the end of the month, children from low-income working families, as well as those of city health workers, will be provided emergency childcare in 37 Rec & Park facilities or libraries around the city.
Rec & Park will be handling care for children grades K-5, with SFPL caring for those in grades 6-12. All children at these facilities will receive three meals a day.
As of now, the school closure will last from next Monday, March 16 through the end of the prescheduled spring break, with classes set to resume Monday, April 6.
In addition to the school closures, the San Francisco Public Library also announced today that all SFPL branches will be closed through March 31.
