TEMPLE DAILY TELEGRAM / 1
FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2024
FOCUS ON
BUSINESS Temple Strong: An Unyielding Community Spirit Bobbie Jo Young, Temple Chamber of Commerce
On May 22, 2024, two devastating tornadoes tore through Bell County, leaving nearly 500 homes and businesses in ruins or severely damaged. As the sun rose the following morning, our community, though bruised and battered, showed its true resilience. The City of Temple declared a disaster, and in response, hundreds of dedicated individuals mobilized. They assessed the damage, prepared meals, cleared debris, and united under the banner of Temple Strong.
JUNE 2024 BUSINESS LINK LUNCH Thursday, June 13, 2024 12:00 - 1:00 pm
Sponsored by: Cedar Crest Hospital & Residential Treatment Center
BUSINESS AFTER HOURS Thursday, June 20, 2024 5:00 - 7:00 pm
Sponsored by: Smile Doctors Orthodontics
TempleChamber.com
The Temple Chamber staff has been dedicated to assisting affected businesses and backing the City's recovery efforts. Our team was honored to help serve food alongside the Bell County Business Group at Tarver Elementary and humbled to deliver meals to firefighters at a dark and powerless station. The Chamber served as a location for donation dropoffs and lent a hand at the Temple Strong donation drive organized by one of our remarkable Chamber members, Bold Republic Brewing Company. Led by General Manager Matt Serna, Bold Republic gathered massive amounts of clothing, toiletries, housewares, and nonperishable food for those in need. Among our other extraordinary members, Shaffin Wegener of State Farm provided 1,500 meals over two consecutive days to residents without electricity. Haute Dog offered hundreds of free meals to those in need. Our roofing and restoration members worked around the clock, providing free tarping and water removal services, often with little to no sleep.
Numerous other members, including Family Promise, 7 Mares, Feed My Sheep, Paradise Nails, Texas Roadhouse, United Way of Central Texas, Wings, Pizza ‘N Things, 3 Texans Winery, Bulldog Auto Detailing, Extraco Banks, KCEN Channel 6, Texell Credit Union, Vista Real Estate and countless others, stepped up to serve the community. On May 24, 2024, the Temple and Belton Chambers issued a joint statement, a unified call for support, urging members to contribute to The Tornado Relief Fund established by the United Way. The Temple Chamber is ready to support businesses in providing information regarding operating hours and recovery updates to the public. We encourage our members to contact us for any inquiries or assistance needed. We are actively monitoring resource updates and will continue to communicate this information to our membership. If you need help with recovery, reach out to The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at https://www. disasterassistance.gov/ or call 800-621-3362. FEMA plans to establish a disaster resource center at Holy Trinity Catholic High School in Temple by Monday, June 10, 2024. Small businesses looking for recovery support can find information from the Office of the Governor at https://gov.texas.gov/business/page/recover. We will rise from these ashes, stronger than ever, thanks to the boundless compassion and determination of those who live and work here. Together, we embody the spirit of Temple Strong.