READING, Pa. — A weekly farmer’s market is moving from Penn Street to the GoggleWorks campus, giving folks in Reading more access to healthy food.
“I travel to the Dominican Republic and Mexico a lot so fruits there are really fresh,” says Emilia Portes, who lives and works in Reading. “I find that the ones at the farmer’s market are a lot more similar to the freshness and I enjoy that.”
“We’re trying to bring a beautiful Reading Roots Market to downtown Reading,” says Goggle Works Executive Director, Levi Landis.
The Reading Roots Farmer’s Market at GoggleWorks is the result of a lot of hard work and collaboration.
“We’ve gone in deep in our programming and our mission into food,” says GoggleWorks Board Chair Sandy Solman.
The Wyomissing Foundation was a big part of bringing the market to the GoggleWorks campus.
“When the idea came about to move Penn Street Market here, we had already funded the Food Trust last year to keep it operating last year when that became a concern that there would be funding for that,” says Pat Giles with the Wyomissing Foundation.
“So, when he [Landis] mentioned bringing it here, it really was one of those circumstances of being in the right place at the right time and for things to miraculously come together in a beautiful way and so we said, of course we’ll fund this,” he said.
The Roots Market brings more than access, it also provides opportunity.
“It’s also going to be able to feed people’s hearts and souls with not just food but art, and music and creativity,” says Giles.
The market runs Thursdays from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. through October 8.