189: Courtney Shober

Manager, Penn Street Market

Courtney has been the manager of the market for three years now. Every Thursday from June through September, Penn Street is bustling with fresh fruits and vegetables, food trucks, and specialty days with music, wellness programs, pottery, and much more.

Once the pandemic, hit that all changed. Yes the market stayed open. She says, “Our spirit was diluted, but it was still there.” Their main mission became healthy food access, especially for those who were struggling financially. Many forms of financial assistance are accepted at the market: SNAP, WIC, Farmers Market Nutrition checks, special offers for seniors, etc. But the one that stood out to me from this interview was Berks Farmers Bucks. This is a dollar matching program that had been offered before the pandemic. It’s essentially an incentive program to help people learn about healthy eating. Back then, if you fulfilled a simple requirement, such as taking part in a nutrition education demo (which people waited in line for) you received these dollars. They can only be used for food purchases. But not just on Penn Street, also at other locations in Berks County. They were becoming a local standardized form of food currency and are widely popular. 

During the pandemic, the Bucks were handed out without any requirements to help those financially challenged. Additionally, people were encouraged to watch nutritional videos, as opposed to the in-person classes.

The amount of planning it took to keep the Penn Street Market open was tremendous, especially when (due to the pandemic) the “on the street” market was shut down. The license was pulled due to the pandemic restrictions. They found a new location and only missed serving the public for one week.

Courtney was working on this while battling personal struggles as wel l- her father-in-law was sick, hospitalized and died from COVID 19. She and her husband, of 20 years, contracted it as well. 

She is so thankful that her boss and the people she works with are thoughtful and pro-active. Together they were there for the community, which for the most part was incredibly grateful and let them know it. They were respectful of the restriction and very understanding. Courtney said, “I heard horror stories from other market managers…some people refused to follow guidelines.  It made it very difficult for them.”

She hopes in the future we continue to be understanding, cooperative, and have empathy for one and other.”