Reading Housing Authority Opens Grocery Store in Oakbrook Homes

From Reading Housing Authority

Photo courtesy of Anne Preble on Unsplash

Reading Housing Authority (RHA) proudly announces the opening of the first of its kind — a grocery store in Oakbrook Homes, with a grand opening to occur on Monday, June 23, at 10 a.m., at 1001 Scott St., which is home to the community’s new Neighborhood Resource Center. The store will address a longstanding challenge for residents and nearby neighborhoods in providing walkable access to fresh foods and basic household needs, seven days per week.

RHA is delighted to partner with Dilania Herrera, proprietor, in the opening of El Encanto Grocery. Building upon a successful store located in downtown Reading, Herrera will expand her business to Oakbrook, bringing fresh fruits and vegetables, meats and other proteins, and a wide selection of household staples at affordable prices. As Herrera also operates a successful bakery serving three states from her flagship Oley Street location, the community also looks forward to fresh breads and pastries that will satisfy the desires of various Latin American appetites.

The Oakbrook Homes Neighborhood Resource Center opened its doors in early June. In the coming weeks, center offerings will expand to include programming in workforce development, English-language acquisition, higher education, low-barrier access to social service providers, and programming for youth and older adults. The center has already hosted its first job fair, aimed at hiring residents to staff its new neighboring childcare center, set to open later this summer. A grand opening for the overall Center for Community Services will occur in August.

Established in 1939 to provide decent, safe, and affordable housing, Reading Housing Authority has since expanded its mission to include service-enriched housing that supports economic self-sufficiency for families and fosters independence and community engagement for older adults and individuals with disabilities. “The opening of our first on-site grocery store could not be timelier,” said Stacey Keppen, President & CEO, “as the challenges associated with obtaining food that is both healthy and affordable touches everyone.”  Long known as a “food desert,” El Encanto Grocery and Reading Housing Authority look forward to serving Oakbrook Homes and the City of Reading for years to come. 

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Source: bctv