March 19, 2020 Four Centers in Pittsburgh Offering Grab and Go Meals Four city and Salvation Army centers around Pittsburgh will be offering grab-and-go meals for city schoolchildren starting Thursday, March 19, 2020, in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Public Schools. Available Locations The Department of Parks and Recreation has received approval to activate grab-and-go meals at the following four locations: Paulson Rec Center | 1201 Paulson Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15206 Warrington Rec Center | 329 E Warrington Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15210 Salvation Army – Homewood | 8020 Frankstown Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15221 Salvation Army – Westside | 1821 Broadhead Fording Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15205 More Information on Grab-and-go Meals All meal hand-out operations will commence on weekdays (Monday through Friday) from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) will provide 100 grab-and-go lunches for each site. This approach may be re-adjusted to respond to actual needs. For more information on COVID-19, visit our COVID-19 Resources page here. Click here to view the City of Pittsburgh’s original press release. *Information provided by the City of Pittsburgh.
May 22, 2019 City Receives Grant to Support Safe Travel for Schoolchildren On May 22, 2019, officials from Mayor William Peduto’s administration discussed a state grant of more than $450,000 to support safe routes to school for elementary and middle school students in Pittsburgh. About A bill was discussed at Pittsburgh City Council’s standing committees meeting accepting $464,000 from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s (PennDOT) Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program, which provides assistance to municipalities to support the creation of safe and appealing alternatives to single occupant vehicle travel. More than 30 million Americans nationwide transport their children to and from schools every day, which research shows increases hazardous road conditions and harms the environment. The Safe Routes to School program seeks to address that by supporting walking and biking to school, leading to eased traffic conditions and better health for schoolchildren. “The ability to walk or bike to school has long been one of the classic characteristics of Pittsburgh, but over recent decades it has become increasingly hazardous for children, who are our most valuable and vulnerable travelers,” said Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI) Director Karina Ricks. “This grant will allow us to dedicate resources to help us collaborate with school leaders and parents to identify areas where low-cost improvements can be rapidly implemented.” What’s Next? DOMI is proposing using the PennDOT grant to hire a Safe Routes to School coordinator who is part educator, part engineer and will work on programming for students to walk and bike more easily. The coordinator will work on traffic calming and other safety improvements on streets near schools best suited for walking and biking. Once approved, DOMI plans to have a person in the position by the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year. Learn More To learn more about PennDOT’s Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside program, visit their website. *Information provided by the City of Pittsburgh