The Farmville Area Community Emergency Services (FACES) Food Pantry could soon be expanding to include storage and distribution to serve eight counties.

“We are looking for a way of expanding our facilities,” said FACES President Dr. Ellery Sedgwick.

He said the organization was recently approached by its parent agency, the Central Virginia Foodbank, about increasing distribution and offering storage capabilities.

Because FACES is one of the largest agencies in the Central Virginia, Sedgwick said the Central Virginia Foodbank enlisted their help to provide more distribution to rural areas that are not seeing as much attention.

“We can’t do it from our current facility,” he said.

In Longwood University’s proposed master plan — which envisions the college’s growth to 2039 — a softball stadium is planned for the current location of FACES.

Sedgwick said FACES serves Prince Edward and contiguous counties with the same 23901 zip code. 

He said about 75 percent of the food distribution occurs in Prince Edward County at the North South Street location.

The remaining 25 percent is in Charlotte County at the second FACES branch in Abilene.

In the future, he said distribution could be increased to a total of eight counties, reaching as far as Halifax and back north to Cumberland.

Sedgwick said FACES has been in discussion for a short period with STEPS Inc. of Farmville about possibly renovating an old factory and utilizing it as a larger storage and distribution area.

“We have to raise a great deal of money,” said Sedgwick.

He said the current facility on North South Street has been rent free, thanks to the Town of Farmville.

“It’s been a good location for FACES,” said Gerald Spates, Farmville’s town manager. “We’re just glad we were able to help out.”

Although the project is not operating on a strict timeline, Sedgwick said it could be two years before the move is complete for FACES.

“In the meantime, we want to continue to support and expand our local operation in Prince Edward,” Sedgwick said.

“FACES distributes food every Saturday to an average of 1,300 people a week. There are currently 835 financially screened families registered to receive FACES services,” according to Linda Satkowski, the organization’s vice president.

“FACES serves all of Prince Edward County and portions of Cumberland, Buckingham, Charlotte, Nottoway and Lunenburg counties.”

In addition to distributing food to local families, she said FACES serves as a vehicle for other agencies to distribute everyday items such as toys, clothing and educational materials.

For more information on donating to FACES, visit www.facesfoodpantry.com or call (434) 392-6277.