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In many ways, the new project from FACES food pantry turns the operation into somewhat of a grocery store. It got started in June, with residents of Charlotte and Prince Edward counties who are registered with FACES being invited to come into the facility and pick their own food out at what pantry officials are calling the Marketplace. Residents of Cumberland County with a Farmville address were also invited to try out the new program. 

“The Marketplace permits our neighbors to choose from a range of healthy options,” said FACES Co-President Paul Baker. “This is particularly helpful for those with food allergies or chronic diseases that limit their diets. In addition, the Marketplace reduces food waste as neighbors choose only those foods they intend to use.”

Baker said the client-choice option is in alignment with the national Health Pantry initiative that seeks to improve the nutritional quality of the food that pantries offer and expand options for those who receive it. The result is places like the FACES Marketplace that permit community members to choose from a range of healthy options. 

How can I take part? 

So let’s go over the details here. The FACES Marketplace is open on Thursday evenings from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the pantry, located at 482 Commerce Road in Farmville. Now if you prefer the traditional way, that’s still available too, with Saturday delivery. 

The client-choice option was tested as a pilot program in May and expanded to full operations in June. Choices at the Marketplace include fresh produce, canned goods, assorted meats and frozen items, personal or household good, bread, eggs and milk when available. 

Baker said that implementing the initiative was made possible for FACES by grants from Feed More, the regional food bank. A local family also donated shelves, coolers, and other items necessary for grocery operations. The FACES co-president said the service, which began in 1981, is moving forward in spite of the recent federal funding uncertainty. 

“The recent reductions in federal funding for food assistance programs affects the operations of FACES in general,” Baker shared with The Herald. “In particular, these cuts have made it more expensive for FACES to obtain locally grown produce.”

FACES deals with the cuts

In 2024, the FACES Food Pantry helped 2,455 people in Prince Edward, Charlotte and Cumberland counties. The group gave out 400,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables to those residents, with that work partially funded by a USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) grant. That funding is gone now, eliminated earlier this year as part of more than $1 billion in cuts made at the federal department. 

The grant funding in question was known as the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, which annually provided $500 million to food banks across the nation. Under guidelines listed on the USDA website, these had to be fresh and minimally processed foods, with all supplies coming from within the state or within 400 miles of the distribution site. 

This was a relatively new program, funded by the American Rescue Plan and created to help deal with supply chain shortages to underserved and rural communities after the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time it was created, the Virginia Department of Agriculture estimated the money would be used to buy food from 166 local farms and then work with food banks to distribute it to those in need. As of 2025, according to the USDA website, that number of Virginia farmers was up to 183. 

States had already been notified earlier this year of their allocation from the program for 2025, factoring it in budget discussions. Virginia, for example, was supposed to receive $13,582,814, according to the USDA website. Instead, at the beginning of March, states were informed the agreements would be terminated, following a 60-day notification period. That decision was part of the changes made by the cost-cutting federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). 

More about the operation

FACES was founded back in 1981 by a group including ministers, farmers, teachers, and other community members with the mission of distributing donated food to local families in need. Originally distributing to a small number of families from a second-floor storage room above a shoe repair shop on West Third St., the organization has since evolved into one of the largest food pantries in Virginia, distributing to an average of 900 households annually, representing over 2,000 people. 

While the Marketplace offers a new option to residents, FACES will continue distributing food to residents weekly on Saturday for those who wish. Last year, faces distributed an average of 650 grocery bags per week to 2, 455 community members, under an annual budget of $197,000.
“Thus far, some 70 households with 130 individuals have chosen to participate in the Marketplace,” Baker said. “The feedback they have given tells us that they appreciate the option and the choices it provides.”