Farmer’s market brings fresh produce to inner-city Reading

(Reading) — The Penn Street Market, designed to bring fresh produce to those who might not otherwise have a chance to buy some, opens Friday in Reading.

Sheila Miller, Berks County’s Agricultural Coordinator, is teaming up with GoggleWorks to add a new layer to the farmer’s market.

GoggleWorks, located along the Schuylkill River, will open its doors for farmers every Friday afternoon, removing any concern about the weather.

“They can see paintings, sculptures, fiber art, you name it. It’s a great place for people to come together, and I think that’s what this is all about. The Penn Street Market has become a community meeting point,” says Miller.

The market runs from 3 to 7 pm on Fridays, on top of the Penn Street Market going from 10:30 am until 2:30 pm, through October.

Miller says she’ll have a wireless machine that can take food stamps and Farmers’ Market Nutrition coupons.

She hopes a sponsor will join the effort to double the value of those government programs, as some other farmers’ markets do.

“I just rolled up my sleeves back in 2009 and said we need to do this, we need to bring farmers into the city to help people who don’t have the means or the transportation to get out into the country to shop directly from farmers.”