Good morning, Reading.

Friend Inc in Kutztown received an $800,000 award to renovate a food pantry & social services center on Bieber Alley.

The new facility will host programs for financial literacy, digital skills, food prep, and senior health to support local rural needs.

Berks Encore promoted Andrea Gebely to Chief Program Officer and Mindy McIntosh to Chief Development Officer on Oct.

5 to boost programs & fundraising for older adults in the county. The leadership changes aim to strengthen community support for growing demand.

Dr. Deryl Johnson, a Kutztown professor, debuts his reimagined play (Centralia: The Fire Below) at Schaeffer Auditorium starting Oct.

15. The free production features artifact exhibits and a post-show talkback to share Centralia’s storied past.

The Reading Public Museum is hosting a new interactive exhibit called How People Make Things that lets visitors try molding, cutting, deforming, and assembly hands-on via factory tour clips inspired by Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood; it is on display through Jan.

10 in the Meinig & World Cultures Galleries.

Leaders from Reading, Allentown and Lancaster met today at the DoubleTree Hotel for the first annual 222 Corridor Latino Economic Summit to discuss the growing economic influence of the Latino community (Pa.

Rep. Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz and Allentown’s mayor attended); the Berks Latino Chamber of Commerce’s annual gala follows later.

The federal government is selling two Pennsylvania warehouses that were bought as detention center sites.

The buildings (527,000 sqft in Upper Bern Township, Berks and 1.3 million sqft in Tremont Township, Schuylkill) are now marketed by Cushman and Wakefield.

Three Berks County farms totaling 206 acres will be permanently protected from future development after the PA Department of Agriculture approved $648,126 in funding to buy development rights — a measure that secures farmland for future generations in the area.

The move is part of a statewide preservation program.

Route 143 will close nightly from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. starting Oct.

12 for about two weeks as PennDOT replaces the Lenhartsville Bridge on I-78 & directs motorists to follow posted detours; caution is advised in the work zone.

Food safety inspectors in Berks reviewed vendors from Sept.

23 to Oct. 6 and found some in Reading and surrounding areas out of compliance with sanitation and temperature control standards. Affected facilities are addressing issues like unreadable thermometers + improper chemical labeling as they work to meet safety guidelines.

On Thursday, Fleetwood senior Sophie Toucher scored three goals in a 3-1 win over Wyomissing, with her first goal marking her 75th career goal (assisted by Avery Kirstein) and raising her season total to 31 and her career total to 77.