Kettering Health Network employees have the unique opportunity to support the effort to bring healthy food access to Dayton. For employees who would like to purchase a share in Gem City Market, Kettering Health Network will match the other half of their membership price.
“Improving the lives for those in our communities is what our mission is all about,” says Fred Manchur, CEO of Kettering Health Network. “We are pleased to partner with Gem City Market to help provide healthy food to West Dayton.”
Gem City Market is a Dayton co-op that will become a full-service grocery store in Dayton, specifically serving the need in West Dayton–the second-worst food desert in the United States. The organization is currently in a fundraising stage, selling shares to local residents who want to get involved in bringing access to healthy food to the Dayton Community. The community- and worker-owned grocery store will be located on Salem Avenue on the northwest side of Dayton.
About the Matching Program
A share in Gem City Market costs $100; each employee who would like to support the Dayton community by purchasing a share can pay $50, with Kettering Health Network matching the additional $50. Limit one share per person. Kettering Health Network’s goal is to help at least 1,000 employees become members of this co-op.
“Community involvement is so important–from the personal level to the organizational level,” says Roy Chew, PhD, president of Kettering Health Network. “Through this matching program, we are creating an opportunity to support individuals that want to get involved with the community, as well as provide support from our organization.”
Benefits of Membership in Gem City Market
Members can experience these benefits:
- Support the health of the community by being part of an effort to bring access to healthy food to Dayton
- Have access to members-only prices at the market
- Have the option to vote or run for designated community seats on the board of directors
- Participate in annual meetings where the general direction of the store is set
- Once the store becomes profitable, share in a percentage of profit not reinvested in the store, based upon level of patronage (how much you shop at the store)
More About Gem City Market
Gem City Market is the first major project of the non-profit Greater Dayton Union Co-op initiative, which was founded in 2015 by members of the Dayton community committed to the twin missions of addressing Dayton’s food crisis and incubating cooperative businesses to bring sustainable jobs to Dayton. To learn more, visit gemcitymarket.com
How to Get Involved
To buy a share and become a member, employees can:
- Visit gemcitymarket.com
- Click “Become a Member” at the top.
- Click “Purchase a Membership.”
- Under “Payment Options” select “Employer Discount.”
- Select “Kettering Health Network” as the employer and enter your employee ID with a “k” at the beginning.