South Street Cinema holds 'Code Blue Screening'

PHILADELPHIA (FOX 29) - While the bitter cold temperatures caused a number of problems on Monday, one man wanted to make sure he had a solution for those with nowhere to go.

The proprietor of the South Street Cinema, a non-profit that plays a wide range of movies five days a week, pulled another all-nighter on Monday to extend their hours from 11 to 6 a.m.

He plays movies all night and provides free popcorn for people who may otherwise stay outside.

"We've got about a dozen folks in the neighborhood that are always outdoors and rather than sort of walk by them again, we say I can stay open late that night," says Bill Arrowood. "It's far, far too cold to look away from anyone."

Arrowood says the outreach has been a community effort, with many neighbors and nearby business owners stopping by to help out.

"There's been a real outpouring of support about it in a way that's visceral and makes you feel less sad about the city," he says. "It's been an outpouring of humanity to be witness to."

As the temperatures went downhill on Monday, Arrowood was not the only one who stayed busy.

Tom Flora, manager of Evan's Gulf on Spring Garden Street, says he had more customers than usual.

According to AAA, there was a 30 percent increase of calls for dead batteries compared to Martin Luther King Day last year.

"That's what we're doing all day testing batteries and fixing cold weather, ice problems," he says. "Tires are another big thing, tires are going flat because of the cold weather."

Flora says he expects the shop to be busy as the cold weather continues.

While Arrowood says his cinema will be open late for the last time on Monday, for now, he says he hopes the kindness and outreach will spread.

"There's a lot of gratitude, there's a lot of genuineness from these folks that just didn't have really anyone else that was reaching out for them."

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