The Official Newsletter of the Troy Chamber of Commerce
CHAMBER NEWS NOVEMBER, 2022
Inside This Issue:
Spotlight Interview Member of the Month Community Awards Recipients Coffee with Champions/ Don't Forget Did you know? New Members Current Promotions Business Tip of the Month Connect With Us
ABOUT OUR SPOTLIGHT First Place Food Pantry is located at 1100 Wayne St. Suite 1450 North East Corner (Next to the Red Cross) in Troy, and has been serving the community for the last 20 years. They're a choice food pantry that allows people in need to choose their own food items, which helps reduce food waste and allows others to select foods to fit their dietary needs. With more than 50 volunteers, First Place Food Pantry serves over 13,000 people a year in Miami County, Ohio. This interview is with the Executive Director for First Place Food Pantry, Susan Walker Hemm.
Nov. 2022
SPOTLIGHT: FIRST PLACE FOOD PANTRY Q: How did you get started at the food pantry?
A: As the needs of the pantry continue growing the board of directors realized the need to hire an executive director. Having over 28 years of non-profit experience and a desire to serve the community at the ground led me to this role. It is my pleasure to serve as Executive Director of First Place Food Pantry. I cannot imagine always having to think about where and when my family will be able to have our next meal and want to help those that are having to do so. Q: What has been the most rewarding experience/moment for you?
A: Being surrounded by such dedicated volunteers serving the community is priceless. We all recognize the great need of our services in the community, especially at this current time. For many of our neighbors it only takes one unplanned medical bill, house or car repair, illness, or being laid off to need food. I am thankful to be part of a supportive community that provides support in a non-judgmental environment, as you never know when you, your family, or friends may need the same support. Q. What needs do you feel like you are currently meeting in the community
A: While our clients are welcome to visit First Place Food Pantry monthly there are many that we only see once or a few times a year. Our clients are so very grateful that we are available for when they need us. Q. What do you see as the biggest need/goal that you are currently facing? Or What is a need/goal that you would like to meet in the community?
A. Like a lot of businesses there is more to successfully operating a food pantry than meets the eye. We are in essence running a small grocery store. My goals for First Place Food Pantry include extending our hours of operation, offering the quantity of quality food that each family needs, and opening an area to the public to purchase food. Having a prep kitchen to allow for demonstrations, teaching and tasting and to offer “wrap around” services at the pantry is also part of my longterm vision for the pantry.
Nov. 2022
Q. If money were no object, what would be a goal/project you would want do/complete most? A. Money being no object I would like to expand the pantry and be open more hours and have clients visit as often as they need. I am very thankful for all our current funders, partners, and donors. I look forward to continuing to develop and strengthen these relationships in order to achieve the needs of the pantry. Funding is always a challenge as the need for our services continues to increase. For anyone who is interested in donating we would be grateful! Q: What has been the most challenging thing for First Place Food Pantry? A: Continuing to meet the growing needs of the pantry during this time is an ongoing challenge. We are always in need of food and volunteers as well as getting the word out to those who need our services. I would love to be out of a job as that would mean no one would be going hungry in Miami County. However, that it not remotely the case; many would be very surprised at the number of our neighbors that are in need. Currently we are serving OVER 100 FAMILIES EACH WEEK and know this will increase during the winter season due to higher prices. We also provide pet food as we have it available. We know our furry friends are part of our family and they need food too. Q: What type of food/items would you like to receive more of especially during the upcoming holiday season?
A: Canned pasta, oatmeal packets, peanut butter, canned veggies, ramen noodles, spices, flour, sugar and cooking oil are always needed (please make sure food is not out of date, damaged or open). We also need can openers, liquid dish soap, deodorant, laundry detergent, toothpaste and pet food. Crock pots are also needed. Q: What do you have coming up at First Place Food Pantry? A: We are working on implementing some very exciting things at First Place Food Pantry. Many folks need food delivered as it is challenging to sometime get to the pantry for numerous reasons. In the coming months we are implementing a delivery system as well as the opportunity to come back into the pantry to shop as well as continuing our drive-thru. It is an exciting time to be able to serve, create and implement creative ways to work towards ending food insecurity. During the upcoming holiday season, we hope to be able to bless those in need with additional items and larger quantities of items that are needed. Your support will help allow us to make this happen and continue the journey to help alleviate food insecurity in Miami County. We also are scheduling volunteer training session; just call if you are interested- we would love for you to join us! Q: What is something you would like to say to someone that wants to help, but isn’t sure where to start/what to do?
A:If you, your organization, business or social group is interested in holding a food drive, touring the pantry, volunteering or having a guest speaker please let me know and we will make it happen; it is that simple! Monetary donations go a long way in purchasing food, personal care items and daily operations at the pantry and are always appreciated. Call us at 937-570-4329 Email—susan@firstplacefoodpantry Follow us on social media Visit our Amazon Wish List Use your KrogerPlus Card to help us receive community rewards
A huge thank you to First Place Food Pantry from the Troy Chamber of Commerce, for this wonderful interview!
Member of the Month: Mutual Federal
Nov. 2022
Our member of the month is Mutual Federal, who is a division of First Bank Richmond. Mutual Federal currently has five full-service bank locations located in Sidney, Piqua and Troy, Ohio, and a loan production office in Columbus, Ohio. And they currently employ 33 employees. Mutual Federal has just celebrated 100 years of serving Shelby and Miami counties. They were originally founded as First Mutual Savings and Loan Association with only six employees on August 25, 1922. Their primary focus when opening their doors was “to provide quality banking services on a more personalized basis to the people in Sidney and Shelby County, and to become a recognized exceptional corporate citizen that strives to improve the quality of life in its communities through its direct financial stewardship and its dedicated community involvement.” 100 years later, Mutual Federal has remained diligent in, “successfully meeting our mission that is focused upon these same two very important and fundamental objectives, by striving to maintain our recognized and respected community leadership role in the markets that we serve, and by simply delivering the dependable and quality brand of service that all our customers have come to deserve and expect.” You can learn more about Mutual Federal and their history here on their website: 100 Years Strong (mutualfederal.com).
Community Awards Recipients Announcement
Nov 2022
Melissa Kleptz: 2022 Distinguished Citizen Award
Dr. Doreen Larson: 2022 Outstanding Educator of the Year
Michael Ham: 2022 Community Service Award
Both the 2022 A. Robert Davies Md Memorial Young Man of the Year and the Shirley Cup Davies Memorial Young Woman of the Year, will be Announced the Night of the Event.
Nov. 2022
Who is it for? We understand that leaders want to impact their world, but sometimes struggle with knowing what to do. We've created weekly leadership workshops that are built to answer your most challenging questions so that you can be a force for good in your world. You can learn about: perseverance, winning gracefully, marketing, giving, employees, money, vision, leadership, retirement / 2nd half, mentoring, social impact, and more! The rules are: we are here to learn from each other, there are no wrong ideas, and we believe in a God. Coffee with Champions will meet weekly on Thursdays at 8:00 am. The meetings will never be more than an hour. It is free to Troy Chamber members. Non-Members may attend two (2) times before becoming a member
Thursday, November 17, 2022 8:00 am - 9:00 am at the Troy Area Chamber of Commerce. You can register on our website.
Leadership Troy Applications are due by December 1st. Please feel free to contact Kathi Roetter for more information The State of Economic Development is November 17th 11:30am-1:00pm. Make sure that you have registered for this event; registration is on our website Be on the lookout for 2023 Sponsorship opportunities. If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities now, please feel free to contact our office.
Nov. 2022
Webinar Wednesday Info: Did you Know? You can join the Support Local Troy Ohio Community Gift Card Program. It is a digital gift card program within our local network, that helps support our community. It can be used at multiple merchants within our network, allowing the consumer to have more flexibility. As a member you are able to sign your business up to become part of the Troy network. You can find more information here: https://app.yiftee.com/giftcard/troy--oh-troy
Mark your calendars, Small Business Saturday is on November 26th. It’s an important day to celebrate our small business, your business could join in on our “Elf on the Shelf” Scavenger Hunt. During our Small Business Week, Troy Chamber will pass out some “Elves” that your customers can search for during the day of the 26th. Once a customer finds the Elf in your place of business, they can receive the Local Troy Community Gift Card that we have provided. This promotion is open to any type of busines that would like to participate in this fun holiday event, please contact : hmccartney@troyohiochamber.com or call 937-339-8769.
Member Discout Progam
Nov. 2022
Nov 2022
Welcome New Members
Dr. Andrew Katerakis 1374 W. Main St. Troy, OH 45373 (937) 35-7754 www.dentisttroyohio.com
Brighter Days Dental 1295 Archer Drive Troy, OH 45373 (937) 335-8014 brighterdaysdental.com
Sharon Elaine Photography 16 S Cherry St. Suite A Troy, OH 45373 (937) 901-5425 sharonelainephotography.com
Nomad Cyber Corporation (937) 739-6678 www.nomad-cyber.com
Member Discout Progam Program
Nov. 2022
Member NEW Member Discout Shipping Progam Program
Nov. 2022
Member 4C For Children Discout Promotion Progam
Nov. 2022
The Miami County commissioners recently approved an agreement with 4C for Children of Dayton that will run through Dec. 31, 2023. The agreement will aid in providing resources to existing and future childcare center and home programs to meet childcare needs, a barrier cited frequently in workforce development. The lack of quality childcare was identified as a top community need in Troy and throughout the county. The childcare initiative will provide funding and training for those interested in starting their own in-home business, as well as looking at ways that public and private partnership can work together to bring more childcare providers to the area.
The information to the right is for those interested in starting their own in-home childcare business. Please share with those that might be interested.
Nov. 2022
Don't forget that as a member, your business is listed on our website in our member directory. This helps your business gain more visibility, but make sure that your information (such as your location, phone number, and website) is up to date on our website. Updating it on a regular basis can increase search engine optimization.
Business Tip of the Month
You can do this yourself with your login. If you are needing a login and/or assistance you can do so by calling us at (937) 339-8769 or by emailing hmccartney@troyohiochamber.com
MEMBER FACEBOOK GROUP Did you know that the Chamber has a Members Only Facebook group? The purpose of the group is to find connections, share current promotions, business needs and additional resources.
LETS CONNECT Follow the Chamber on social media platforms to stay connected. Use our hashtags: #MyTroyChamber #RememberAMember Want us to share your post? Be sure to tag us in the post or in the comments and we will do our best to share and help you with added reach.