READING, PA. – Opportunity House, a Berks County homeless shelter, hosted its first-ever Halloween resource fair for families of its Patton Avenue Learning Center.
“When it comes to our kids, especially at Patton Avenue, we do what we can, and we go above and beyond for them,” said Gabriella Soto, a teacher at Patton Avenue Learning Center.
The learning center, which opened in 2025, serves infants, toddlers and children of pre-school ages.
At the resource fair, kids got to trunk-and-treat while their parents learned about community resources.
“Everyone’s bringing tons of candy for the kids, tons of food,” Soto said.
The fair’s 15 vendors connected parents with resources to help support their families.
“We have a ton of resources here in Berks County, whether it’s getting services for your kids who have autism, or it’s just getting a haircut for them, or even going and seeing an eye doctor,” said Soto.
Soto said the goal was to bring community organizations together all in one place, giving parents an opportunity to learn about services available to them.
“A lot of our families here don’t really go out and see what’s around here, so it’s fun, and it’s exciting to bring these events and things like this here,” Soto said.
Noemi Berrios, whose daughter is enrolled at Patton Avenue, said events like these are important to raise awareness about resources.
Berrios said it is a “good thing” attendees came out and appreciated the event.
She enjoyed learning about the public library and its activities, Berrios said.
Soto said connecting families with the right resources is an important part of supporting children as they prepare for kindergarten.
And supporting families, supports positive outcomes for all their students, she said.
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