In size and scope, Farmville is not in a position to compete against metropolitan communities such as the City of Richmond and Henrico County.

With the exception, that is, of our food pantry.

Hunger, clearly, is no game.

FACES is consistently the second or third largest food pantry in Central Virginia, behind only Richmond and Henrico. Sometimes FACES is second, other times third.

There is great significance in this fact because it demonstrates quite vividly the degree of need for a food pantry in our community and, thankfully, the ability of FACES to meet that need.

That is a blessing because hunger is no game.

And something else, too:

Neither is the generosity of volunteers and donors who give their time and donations to FACES.

Donations that are needed now.

In a big way.

Because hunger is no game.

In today's edition of The Farmville Herald you will find a flier from FACES and an accompanying envelope, already addressed to FACES. The flier explains why a donation is so desperately needed now and the envelope simplifies responding to the tugging compassion and goodness of your heart by mailing in a contribution.

In words that are rarely typed by an editorial writer, I would be happiest if you stopped reading this editorial right now. Stop reading these words and find the envelope. Then fill that envelope with a check made payable to FACES. Any amount you can afford would be hugely effective. And then put that envelope with your outgoing mail.

What have you just done? A very, very, very good thing, indeed.

FACES distributes approximately three tons of food each week from its Farmville location.

Three tons of food.

Every week.

Because FACES has over 850 registered clients who depend upon that food to live their lives among us.

Their lives are no game, either.

Six hundred bags of food are distributed each week.

In the next 12 months, FACES will distribute about 312,000 pounds of food here in our community.

Does that sound like hunger is a game?

No, not to me, either.

No wonder FACES is right there in the food pantry standings with the City of Richmond and Henrico County, standings that do not reflect a collection of teams competing in a scheduled league of games.

We rank up there because too many people in our community face a future with too little eat. Without FACES, their horizon would resemble an empty plate. Nothing there. A desert, where others have dessert.

For a ten dollar contribution, FACES can purchase about 60 pounds worth of food.

Ten bucks.

Sixty pounds of food.

You could not go see the movie The Hunger Games for $10, not and buy yourself popcorn to eat.

So let's roll the credits and put our own names up there where it matters.

Stars?

Co-stars?

Those are FACES volunteers such as board members Bobby Eiban, FACES operations director, and Linda Satkowski, its registrar.

You and me, let's be the best supporting cast we can.

Our donation to FACES would make a meaningful difference in the crusade to feed those who are hungry among us.

If you've gotten this far, let's go do this thing together. The envelope is waiting. Let's fill it with ourselves.

If hunger were a game, it wouldn't matter. But hunger is not.

(If the envelope in today's Herald has already been used by someone else, your donation can be mailed to FACES, P.O. Box 644, Farmville, VA 23901)

-JKW-