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Chamber reports membership growth, Bagel Festival sellout and interest in food pantry partnerships
Summary
The Chamber reported membership gains, a sold-out Bagel Festival, upcoming programming and interest in supporting food pantries; the chamber asked the county and community to help with volunteer and resource needs for food-pantry efforts.
The Sullivan County Chamber reported year-to-date membership gains and that its flagship Bagel Festival event has sold out vendor slots as it seeks to promote business and volunteer engagement countywide.
Ashley, speaking for the chamber, said 1,517,000 people used the chamber directory in the past year to find local businesses and that the chamber is up 52 new members year to date. "That is a huge statistic and a huge number," Ashley said. She told the committee the Bagel Festival scheduled for the coming Sunday had sold out 203 vendor spaces and that organizers expanded the kids zone and added additional bagel vendors this year.
On community needs, Ashley said the chamber’s foundation and leadership teams are exploring food pantry expansion and asked for volunteer support. She said three additional pantry locations were on a wait list and that the chamber prefers to expand only when sufficient volunteers and resources exist.
Why it matters: Chamber membership and large events like the Bagel Festival are economic drivers for downtown Monticello and other business districts; food pantry capacity and volunteer availability affect local food security support.
What was not decided: The meeting record included no formal county funding decision for pantry expansion; Ashley said the chamber is willing to partner but cited resource constraints for additional pantries.
