Total Life Center director outlines pantry, health programs and urges board to consider school repurpose

Dr. Jackie Green August, executive director of the Total Life Center, told the Nottoway County School Board about the pantry's work and urged the board to consider repurposing a defunct school building for community use.

August said the pantry operates roughly 15 hours a week and that in 2024 it distributed 142,940 pounds of fresh food to 327 families twice a month. She also said that in the past 10 months volunteers have provided "over 208,740 of in kind service hours to the community" (as reported in the public comment). August described a range of services beyond food distribution, including workforce-preparation activities, telehealth space, maternal-health support, chronic-disease self-management classes and a community-health worker apprentice program that provided stipends and training toward certification through the Virginia Certification Board.

She referenced a December 15, 2024 report by the Select Committee on Advancing Rural and Small Town Health Care that recommended the General Assembly consider a budget amendment to expand the Virginia Community Healthcare Workers Association workforce, framing the pantry's work as part of a broader rural-health workforce need.

August asked the board to weigh the costs of renovating a defunct elementary school against the needs of five other facilities that could use funds, and to consider reimagining the building as a training center offering ESL classes, active-shooter training blocks for staff, and use of the gym and grounds for athletics and SRO programming.

August closed by asking the board to "vote wisely" on whether to invest in renovating and reopening the school for community use; the board did not take an immediate vote on that proposal during the meeting.