FACES Food Pantry honors residents, companies for giving help

Published 11:11 pm Saturday, August 2, 2025

FACES Food Pantry recently recognized Lee and Marvin Scott, John DeMaio and the Tri-Boro Shelving Corporation, and Stephen C. Keith for significant contributions on behalf of the organization’s mission to eliminate hunger in our area.

Paul Baker who, with Joanna Baker, serves as co-president of FACES, noted that “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” was the motivation for the founding of FACES in 1981 and continues to be the motto that serves as the foundation for the work of the food pantry. He added that, for nearly 45 years now, FACES Food Pantry has relied on countless individuals who have volunteered to help so that quite literally thousands of their neighbors would have sufficient food to eat.

“The Scotts, Tri-Boro, and Dr. Keith stand tall as representatives of all who have stepped up to be neighbors helping neighbors…and these persons demonstrate so well what time, talent, and treasure can achieve,” Paul said.

Lee and Marvin Scott have been supporters of FACES Food Pantry for many, many years. They represent hundreds of area residents who donate the funds needed to operate a food pantry that serves well over 2,500 neighbors each year.

From left, Joyce Keith and Greg Sullivan stand in the FACES information center organized by Sullivan and dedicated in memory of Stephen Keith.

Some changes for FACES Food Pantry

FACES has continued to upgrade its operation this year and needed to replace five chest freezers, obtain a glass front cooler to support the new Marketplace, as well as identify the money to complete the purchase of an electric forklift.

Paul expressed the group’s appreciation, saying that Lee and Marvin understood how critical these items were to the operation, and donated the funds to complete the purchases. In recognizing Tri-Boro Shelving, Baker noted that FACES moved to its building late in 2019, adding that the pantry was fortunate to install shelving donated by Tri-Boro that provided sufficient space for its needs at the time.

In the five plus years since then, the operation of FACES has grown. In 2019, FACES served 2,025 individuals. Five years later, that number had increased to 2,455 and, through the first six months of this year, FACES has assisted 350 more individuals than at the same point a year ago.

“Serving more means that FACES must handle a greater volume of food and that means its storage capacity also needed to grow,” Paul said. “Thanks to Tri-Boro, that has happened not just once but two more times since FACES moved into its building. In 2020, they gave new shelving, to expand capacity then, earlier this year, Tri-Boro came through again, donating six additional shelving units which enables FACES to store more food and to do it in a way that is more efficient even as it permits the pantry to separate food by its healthy rating.”

Saying thanks

Paul Baker expressed thanks for the partnership with Tri-Boro, touting Tri-Boro as an example for support of FACES by local businesses.

Finally, FACES recognized a volunteer who steadfastly supported its efforts with his time and talent. Baker noted that Stephen C. Keith, who died in July of 2024, was a stellar worker with FACES Food Pantry, work that reflects a lifetime of giving back.

During some fifty years of residing in the Farmville area, Stephen Keith gave of his time and talent as he helped build Habitat houses, organized Christmas parades, worked to better health care in our community, and so many other civic undertakings.

At FACES, Dr. Keith directed traffic on Saturday mornings, assisted with recording visits by the neighbors served, helped with store pickups throughout the week, engaged Longwood University in donating canned food, and delivered food to senior and disabled neighbors who can no longer drive. Baker observed that Dr. Keith was absolutely reliable and always showed up with a ready smile and good humor.

On behalf of FACES, Paul thanked Greg Sullivan, who built an information center for the office and dedicated it in memory of Stephen C. Keith. Paul also expressed gratitude to Joyce Keith, who supported her husband’s work through the years and who, with him, also made regular financial donations to FACES.

“(I thank) all the neighbors who continue to donate their time, talent, and treasure on behalf of FACES Food Pantry,” Paul added, noting that through the first six months of 2025, some 350 individuals have volunteered at the pantry, dedicating over 8,000 hours on behalf of their fellow neighbors.