Despite opposition, Philadelphia ban on outdoor feeding moves forward

As Philadelphia bans feeding the homeless in public parks, the city has set a date on when an alternative outdoor food-service venue will be available.

The northwest corner of City Hall will be available beginning May 1 with hand-washing stations, security and trash pickup for those who want bring meals to feed the hungry.

It’s one step to stop food from being handed out in city parks, says Mark McDonald, spokesman for Mayor Michael Nutter.

“Those groups need to get a health permit that shows they have done a range of training related to safe food handling and that they have clean kitchens,” he said.

Even though most of those groups are opposed to the City Hall site, McDonald said there’s at least one taker.

“We’ve had one group that has applied to be on the apron, that group has not completed the health regulation,” he said.

There will be a final public hearing on the park feeding ban Wednesday. It’s expected to be in place by the end of May.