Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is this Monday, Jan. 17 and many events celebrating his legacy have been scheduled around the city, virtually and in-person. Here’s a list of some events and volunteer opportunities happening in West and Southwest Philadelphia and on-line. Also, check out the list compiled by the Office of Councilmember Jamie Gauthier.

To explore additional MLK Day volunteer opportunities in Philadelphia, click here.

Thursday, Jan. 13 & Friday, Jan. 14:

Sam Pollard Film Screenings – Virtual Event

Scribe Video Center is hosting an online screening of two films by acclaimed filmmaker Sam Pollard. On Thursday, Jan. 13 at 7:00 p.m., join Scribe for a presentation of MLK/FBI, and on Friday, Jan. 14 at 7:00 p.m. there will be a presentation of Two Trains Runnin’, followed by a conversation with Sam Pollard. The screenings and conversation will be presented through the Crowdcast platform. Click here for more information and to register. Continue Reading

PEC staff member James Wright at a pop-up food distribution event (Photo courtesy of PEC)

People’s Emergency Center (PEC) staff are distributing free food and hosting the Penn Medicine COVID-19 mobile testing unit at 39th and Baring Streets on Thursdays this month (Jan. 13, Jan. 20, and Jan. 27).

Neighborhood residents are welcome to come by for a fresh box of produce and testing. The events are part of PEC’s work with the community to improve health outcomes for everyone. To learn more about the Penn Medicine mobile testing unit, run by Dr. Antonio Dávila Jr., click here.

Food distribution begins at 10 a.m. and continues while supplies last. The mobile testing unit will be onsite from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Small businesses along the 4700 block of Spruce Street are closing to make way for a 12-story apartment building.

The City’s Department of Licenses and Inspections issued a zoning permit on December 30 for a 170-unit building that will include some 37,000 square feet of commercial space on the first and second floors. The building, which will include three roof decks, will occupy nearly the entire south side of Spruce Street between 47th and 48th Streets.

Businesses have already begun closing or relocating to make way for the building. Ezra’s Auto Repair at the corner of 48th and Spruce (see photo below) has already relocated to Baltimore Avenue and businesses in the low rise strip to the east began closing late last year. Continue Reading

UPDATE (1/9/2022): Thirty-six more schools, in addition to the 46 schools announced on Friday, will shift to virtual learning from Monday, Jan. 10 through Friday, Jan. 14. The updated list is available here.

At the beginning of this week, the School District of Philadelphia temporarily shifted dozens of schools to virtual learning due to staffing challenges caused by the current spike in COVID-19 cases. Over 90 District-led schools reportedly switched to virtual learning by the end of the week. The District announced today that 46 schools will shift to virtual learning from Monday, Jan. 10 through Friday, Jan. 14.

The list of schools that will shift to 100 percent virtual learning starting Monday, Jan. 10 can be found here.

“It’s important to know that shifting any school to virtual learning is always a last resort,” Superintendent William R. Hite said in a statement. “Our schools are more than just institutions of learning.” Continue Reading

The Woodlands is accepting applications for its 2022 Grave Gardener program, which will begin later this month. Due to its popularity, the program will only accept a small number of applicants, so if you’re interested in participating hurry up and submit an application. The application period closes Wednesday, Jan. 12 at midnight.

The program accepts a group of volunteers who will be assigned to tend to Cradle Graves at The Woodlands during the growing season from March to November. Cradle Graves have a unique style because they were designed as planters that were gardened and cared for by loved ones in the Victorian era.

Before the beginning of the growing season, The Woodlands will hold a series of educational workshops for new and returning Grave Gardeners. The first workshop is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 26.

To learn more about the program and to apply, please go here.

(Photo courtesy of The Woodlands)

As the number of COVID-19 cases has skyrocketed in Philadelphia in the past few weeks,  the demand for testing remains very high. To help ease this demand, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is opening a new mass COVID-19 testing site in Southwest Philadelphia. The site, located at the Cibotti Rec Center at 7700 Elmwood Ave., has a soft opening today and will officially open this Friday, Jan. 7. The hours of operation will be 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The site has the capacity to administer about 500 tests per day, according to an announcement by Philadelphia Public Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole.

To find other COVID-19 testing sites in the city, please go to this page. If you want to keep up with COVID-19 testing and case numbers in the city, visit this page.