A Few Actually Good Things That Happened This Week During the Coronavirus Crisis in Philly

Finally, a little bit of good news, Philadelphia. Photographs courtesy Lauren Evers Snyder and Josh Schwartz

There’s been plenty of bad news in Philly (and everywhere) this week, thanks to coronavirus. So we wanted to look around and see if there were any glimmers of hope. If you see some for yourself or have some good news to share in all of this, shoot us an email.

Eat Your Lettuce

Before their school got shut down by the state thanks to the coronavirus, the students at Commonwealth Charter Academy were learning all about agriculture by hydroponically growing lettuce at school.

Well, school’s out, so the students donated 39 pounds of lettuce they’d grown to area food banks. A small gesture (and we know there have been much bigger gestures of this kind out there, including from many Philly restaurants and shuttered casinos like the Borgata and Caesars in Atlantic City), but this lettuce was grown by students. It might have special powers.

Some of the lettuce donated to families during the coronavirus crisis in Philadelphia.

The Great Flower-Bombing of 2020

The last time we heard the word “bomb” used in a way we didn’t hate was last summer when Jason Segel was photo-bombing wedding and engagement photos in Philadelphia. (Remember those happy, simpler times?) Well, ICYMI, Rittenhouse Square was flower-bombed this week by local event companies using flowers from weddings and other events that were just canceled due to coronavirus. The park looked beautiful — and it provided some much-needed joy at a time when it feels like there’s not much to celebrate.

People Are Still Getting Married!

Speaking of coronavirus canceling weddings, some couples aren’t canceling. They’re just totally flipping the script. Take, for instance, this Old City couple that planned their impromptu Independence Park ceremony in under 15 minutes. Adapting to change and celebrating life-long commitment? We love to see it.

The PHL Covid-19 Fund

Though we have a lot of questions about how exactly this money is going to be spent, and though we, because we are paid to be skeptics, are concerned about the potential for misdeeds and misbehavior any time a large pot of money is involved in anything connected to Philadelphia (in other words: we’ll be carefully monitoring this going forward), the PHL Covid-19 Fund is a great start. City officials announced the fund on Thursday, and thanks to generous corporate and philanthropic donations, the fund is at $6 million and counting. To donate, click here. (Note that we are aware of the many, many other fundraising efforts taking place right now, and we’re doing our best to sort through them.)

Rainbows in Fishtown

What do you do when you have a bunch of kids out of school in Fishtown? Why, you hang a bunch of rainbow drawings in various windows and send kids out on a rainbow-seeking scavenger hunt, of course! We’d love to see more stuff like this. So let Fishtown (and the One Philly: Coronavirus Art Project) be thine inspiration.

Beer for the Win!

Governor Wolf has banned lots of businesses from operating right now, because they didn’t make the cut of “life-staining businesses.” (He just released a new and highly detailed list.) But you know what did make the cut? Beer distributors! If you’re going, this reporter likes Coors Banquet Beer or Pabst Blue Ribbon. Just sayin’.