The Suffolk Business Women group is growing steadily and planning more community outreach in the coming months.

The group was organized about two years ago by Deb Gayle of TitleQuest to encourage networking and supporting local businesses, she said.

“We thought it would be nice to have a group of women trying to keep business downtown,” Gayle said.

She invited people to the initial meetings by visiting downtown businesses and asking the women there to come and invite their female business contacts. The group meets the second Tuesday of every month at the Plaid Hatter from 5 to 7 p.m. There is an hors d’oeuvres sponsor, and the women talk and network, Gayle said.

Gayle said the group is important, because it encourages giving back to one’s own community and supporting local businesses. “It’s giving back to our own community,” she said.

“It’s a time to unwind and share your business with others,” Gayle added. “The important thing to me is keeping the business within our city. There’s been a lot of friendships that developed out of this, too.”

The group also is trying to build more community service into its activities. It currently does one project a quarter, Gayle said. This quarter, it’s collecting food for the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia. Other projects planned this year include participating in the Suffolk Humane Society’s Mutt Strut, collecting school supplies, supporting the Special Olympics and collecting blankets and stuffing stockings for the Salvation Army.

Any businesswomen are invited to the monthly meetings and encouraged to bring friends, Gayle said. The only requirement is that the women are involved with business — they don’t necessarily have to own a business.

For more information about the Suffolk Business Women, contact Deb Gayle at 539-4850.