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Archive for July, 2026|Monthly archive page

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Area food pantry celebrates 50 years with a new name and executive director

In Economy, Food, Health, Local News, Uncategorized on July 21, 2026 at 4:16 pm

By Gery Deer

(Photo Submitted) Volunteers at the Greene County Food Pantry (formerly Greene County FISH Pantry) continue supporting the organization’s mission during its Golden Anniversary.

The Greene County FISH Pantry, now located at 774 Cincinnati Ave., began in 1976 at Christ Episcopal Church in Xenia in response to the community’s needs following the devastating F5 tornado two years earlier.

As the nonprofit celebrates its golden anniversary, it is beginning its next chapter under a new name and branding intended to clarify its purpose. The organization is retiring the longstanding FISH (Friends in Service of Humanity) name and will now operate as Greene County Food Pantry.

Although a new logo may be the most visible change, the transition goes beyond branding. The nonprofit has officially adopted Greene County Food Pantry as its legal corporate name in its Articles of Incorporation and other official 501(c)(3) records.

Rick Robertson is the pantry’s new executive director, having assumed leadership earlier this year after serving as vice chair of its Board of Directors. Robertson said the rebranding reflects what the organization has become and the community it serves.

“Our pantry serves all of Greene County, and we felt it was time to have our name and branding more closely reflect our mission,” he said.

Robertson brings nearly four decades of leadership experience spanning banking, global profitability consulting and entrepreneurship. His background in operations, compliance and financial management positions him to guide the pantry’s next phase while building on his experience as a member of the organization’s board.

The organization is also continuing equipment upgrades begun under the leadership of former Executive Director Gail Matson. The improvements are part of a broader effort to improve how food is received, stored, and distributed to people throughout Greene County.

These milestones also provide an opportunity to recognize the volunteers, donors, and community partners who sustained the pantry for five decades, and they offer a natural point to consider what will be required in the years ahead.

Today, the pantry serves more than 30,000 people annually. Handling food assistance on that scale requires receiving and inspecting products, maintaining proper storage conditions, tracking inventory, meeting food safety requirements and coordinating staff and volunteers. The goal is to create a smoother workflow from the moment a donation arrives until food is placed into the hands of someone who needs it.

Many improvements may not be immediately visible to the public, but they are essential to the pantry’s daily work. Better equipment and more consistent procedures can improve food safety, reduce unnecessary delays and help volunteers manage increasing demand more effectively. The updates are also intended to better prepare the pantry for the future as families continue to face rising grocery costs and other financial pressures.

Regardless of new branding and operational changes, the organization’s central purpose remains unchanged. It continues to provide food assistance to Greene County residents while relying heavily on community generosity. Every donation, volunteer shift and financial contribution helps the pantry serve thousands of local people each year. The organization recently received a four-star rating on “Charity Navigator,” and a Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency, the highest-rated level of credibility for a nonprofit on Candid (formerly GuideStar). The rating shows donors that an organization is outcome-driven and publicly shares its goals, strategies, and measurable, year-over-year impact metrics.

The organization’s anniversary is not only a celebration of longevity. It is a recognition of generations of Greene County residents who have helped keep the pantry stocked, staffed and available to their neighbors. With each change, the organization is working to secure its future while continuing to combat food insecurity for the next 50 years. For more information on how you can help the Greene County Food Pantry, contact Executive Director Rick Robertson by calling 937-372-8441 or emailing gcfp@gcfp.org.

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A home run

In Local News on July 10, 2026 at 12:06 pm

Deer In Headlines

By Gery L. Deer

My family never went to baseball games when I was growing up, and I’ve never really been a sports fan. But since the Cincinnati Reds farm team came to Dayton in 2000, I’ve always enjoyed a warm summer evening at a Dayton Dragons game, when, for a few hours, the world just seems to get a little bit lighter.

At an evening game, there is that moment when the sun begins to sink noticeably low on the horizon, the stadium lights slowly flicker to life, and the sky turns from blue to purple. The air begins to cool, and Day Air Ballpark feels less like a building and more like a living thing. 

A baseball park has a heartbeat, a pulse made up of thousands of conversations, vendors calling, children laughing, gloves popping, and the grounds crew making everything look impossibly tidy. Fans drift through the gates wearing some measure of Dragons spirit, from a ball cap to a full jersey with a player’s name across the back. 

Some arrive carrying gloves, hoping for a foul ball. Others carry children, souvenirs, and enough snacks to survive into the next day. Everybody seems to know the ritual. Find your seats. Easy, since there are no bad ones. Then you check the scoreboard and settle in. It doesn’t take long before the smell of the hot dogs and pizza call to you like a siren song, especially if you skipped lunch just to make room for it all. 

Speaking of food, there’s no shortage of choices. There are burgers, nachos, ice cream, specialty sandwiches, candy, popcorn, beer, soft drinks and probably something involving barbecue sauce that I’ve overlooked. Me, I’m a little old-school. A baseball traditionalist. My game foods are, in this order, a hot dog with mustard, a Dr. Pepper, a bag of peanuts, and pack of Cracker Jack. By the way, what happened to the prizes? We need to talk about that some other time.

Actually, the concession stand itself is part of the whole experience. You stand in line, trying to decide what you want. You hear the crowd react to some amazing play you missed, and inevitably run into somebody you haven’t seen in years. Suddenly, you are catching up between orders of nachos. 

If you’re the type who’s never met a stranger, there are plenty of folks there just like you. You can tell a tired tale of the one that got away to a whole new audience or bond with the person beside you over a shared dislike of the umpire’s last call. For nine innings, more than a thousand people have something in common. Nobody cares what you do for a living or who you voted for.

In my opinion, every game is a unique experience. Double plays, a T-shirt fired from a cannon that lands in someone’s hot dog, I mean, what are the odds? And, unbelievably, people actually talk to one another. Other than the odd selfie, surprisingly few are staring at their phones. That alone may qualify as a minor miracle.

As darkness settles over the ballpark, the moon peeks through the summer sky above downtown. Then, suddenly – Crack! The bat connects. It is going, going, gone. The ball sails over the fence as the outfield defense looks on. The air horns sound. Fans roar. The runner waves as he casually rounds the bases, while players with names like Friend, Vu, Faile, Montero and Confidan become part of our summer vocabulary.

Between plays, the entertainment crew, the Green Team, keeps everyone smiling with appearances by team mascots Heater, Gem, and Blaze, and interactive contests. Fans might throw water balloons or race around the bases wearing colorful inner tubes to prove, without a doubt, that dignity is optional when a free T-shirt is on the line. Soon, everyone is standing for the seventh inning stretch and a rousing chorus of, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”

No matter who wins at a Dragons game, every fan from 9 to 99 gets a gift: a couple of hours when the world seems lighter. It’s familiar, unhurried and somehow exactly where you need to be, even if it’s only for one summer evening.