Farmville Area Community Emergency Services (FACES) received $4,500 from the Wells Fargo Foundation in support of equipping FACES’ planned new building. FACES will use the gift toward the purchase of a walk-in cooler for storing fresh produce.

“Our new building on Commerce Drive will be more accessible to our clients and the purchase of a walk-in cooler will allow us to expand the amount and variety of fresh produce we offer,” said Ellery Sedgwick, FACES president.

“Wells Fargo is proud to support FACES in its mission to create a hunger-free community within Farmville and the surrounding areas,” said Chaquita Venable, Wells Fargo’s Farmville branch manager. “Through our team members’ volunteer efforts, corporate philanthropy and community involvement, we are committed to building strong and vibrant communities and making a positive difference where we live and work.”

FACES distributes more than 1.3 million pounds of food annually from their distribution center on South Street and a satellite center in Abilene. Additionally, FACES delivers food boxes to the elderly and disabled and provides school children with backpacks of food weekly during the school year. More than 1,000 individuals are served weekly, coming from 625 households. The yearly value to those households at retail is over $2,500. FACES has the additional goal of providing healthy and nutritious food to its clients, especially fresh produce that will be stored in the new cooler.

The Wells Fargo Foundation has been committed to local communities throughout its 167-year history and has increased its philanthropy 25 times over the past 28 years. In 2018, the Wells Fargo Foundation awarded more than $6 million in community contributions to nonprofits in Virginia.