Rough Terrain recently traveled to Oley, Pennsylvania to meet up with Joseph Griffin, President of the Oley Institute, to learn more about his ambitious efforts to bring fresh, affordable produce to low-income Philadelphians while increasing the demand for locally grown food. Joseph's passion for this project made it a possibility during the Equity Project's 2001 inaugural growing season. Up against several obstacles, the project got off the ground on July 20th and continued serving people at the two North Philadelphia sites for 14 weeks through the middle of October.

We spent our day making the rounds in a refrigerated truck with Joseph as we drove from Oley to Leola to Philadelphia in an effort to bring produce to the city. On market days, Joseph manages the supply side of the project by buying fresh produce at the Leola Produce Auction and then delivers the food to the North Philadelphia site on the corner of Jefferson and Gratz Streets. Located in an empty lot, Linda and her daughter, Jennifer are waiting for us. Joseph parks the truck and they quickly get to work unloading boxes of eggplant, peppers, collards, potatoes, plums, turnips and more. Business is slow to get started but once the first customer arrives, a steady flow of people enter the corner lot.

Residents from the surrounding community have their eyes set on the three tables loaded with colorful, fresh produce as they eagerly approach in anticipation of today's healthy market treasures. Their customers vary from individuals to families. Children gather at the table and immediately ask their parents to buy them sweet plums. One of today's bargains are 10 juicy plums for $1.00, surely a yummy snack for anyone and much healthier than candy or soda. Within an hour, the young boy who asked his grandfather to buy those plums returns with another dollar in hand. This time there's a smile stretched from ear to ear as he asks Linda for more because his brothers and sisters devoured the first bag.