Restaurant owner starts food pantry for those in need

La Villa on Timberlake Road has become more than just a beloved Italian restaurant over the last year. Nestled between extra seating and storage, customers may be able to spot shelves of groceries and nonperishables awaiting delivery to those in need as part of a community food bank started by owner Michael DiGiovanni.

As writer Tobi Walsh learned, though DiGiovanni isn’t a stranger to giving back to the greater Lynchburg community, the pantry has given him a new mission and purpose.

Tobi Walsh: Michael, first off, where did this idea for a food pantry come from?
Michael DiGiovanni: Last year, I found myself with not a lot to do [when the pandemic started] and I wanted to do something. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to do this, but I asked my mailman to bring me the names of families he knew were in need. He came back with 20 names and I started dropping off groceries on people’s doorsteps—no questions asked.

TW: Now, a year in, how many families do you help a week?
MD: [We help] 113 families ranging from Lynchburg to Bedford to Big Island. I want to do more and even go as far as Roanoke and Charlottesville in a year or two.

TW: Why a food bank?
MD: Growing up in Italy, we had a very typical family. My father worked and my mother stayed at home and cared for us. I remember there [were] times we didn’t have a lot. We would go to a charity for food, and they would make us feel ashamed for asking for help. I thought, if someone is doing this in God’s name, why would you make someone feel bad? God doesn’t make you feel ashamed. That’s why I don’t ask any questions or even a reason. We just drop everything off on the doorstep.

TW: How do you fund the pantry?
MD: For a while, we were spending money on advertising about the food bank, but we thought there was a better use for the money by buying supplies. We’ve had local police departments and sheriff’s offices donate items and even customers. If there’s a week when we need something specific and it isn’t donated, we’ll go out and buy it.

TW: Did you think you’d still be doing this a year later?
MD: No, I thought I would only do it for a few weeks. But I enjoy doing it—a lot more than I thought I would. It surprised me. I feel like this is what God wants me to do, like this is my purpose. I see it as a healing process for me. For a long time, I ran from God, and now I see why He has me here.

TW: If the community wants to get involved, how can they help?
MD: You can always drop off items at the restaurant. It doesn’t have to be a lot. It can even be a few cans. Every little bit helps.

New Championship Disc Golf Course Sure to Be Huge Boon to Bedford

With five highly-rated courses currently in operation, Bedford County is already a standout spot for disc golf in the U.S.; with its sixth course now open, it is likely to garner attention worldwide.

The New London Tech Disc Golf course, which boasts a finalized design by five-time disc golf world champion Paul McBeth, is slated to open at the New London Business and Technology Center (NLBTC) this spring. Bedford County Parks & Recreation Operations Coordinator Kenny Palmer first saw potential for the course in 2014.

“In 2014, I became aware of the disc golf course potential at the NLBTC due to the utility easements and clearing on the property,” Palmer recalls. “I filed it away in the back of my mind because developing the trail system was the focus at that time. This past summer, I presented the Bedford County Economic Development Board and the Bedford Regional Water Authority with a plan for the course.” After some slight modifications and a finalized design by McBeth, work on the course began late last fall.

McBeth’s involvement in the course stemmed from an unlikely source: the pandemic.

Last spring, Palmer offered McBeth the opportunity to play a new course at Independence Park that was not yet completed. The Professional Disc Golf Assocation was encouraging its professionals not to play on public courses, and McBeth took the opportunity and played the then-private course. McBeth was so impressed by the course that he designed a pro layout for it, and he decided to do the same at NLBTC after Palmer took him on a tour of the property.

“Paul immediately recognized the potential for a top tier professional style course [at NLBTC] and was on board from there,” Palmer says. “It’s been a great experience working with Paul. He has disc golf insight well beyond anyone I’ve met.” According to Palmer, McBeth believes that the New London Tech Disc Golf Course “could be one of the top courses in the world.”

Several things set the new championship course apart from others in the area. “The long and relatively wide fairways through the woods with very little elevation change is unique and gives the course a European course–feel, according to Paul,” notes Palmer.

Additionally, this 18-hole course is more than 11,500 feet long with three par 5s, eight par 4s, and seven par 3s, whereas most Virginia courses are between 4,000 and 8,000 feet with mostly par 3s and 4s. The course also features an abundance of out-of-bounds, so, as Palmer says, “players must focus on both accuracy and distance.”

The course officially opened on Friday, April 9 after a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony. Members of the general public are able to play, but it is important to note that this is a professional level course. Luckily, an amateur level course option is in the works.

Palmer expects that Bedford County tourism, which is already on the rise, will skyrocket with the opening of this new course. People from around the state and country are already traveling to Bedford County just to play our courses, and this course is like “the cherry on top,” he says. “A Paul McBeth–designed championship course is going to cause an influx of professional players as well as fans from everywhere.

We already see it at Independence Park.”

“The most remarkable thing about the new disc golf course is that it checks three important boxes: it provides recreation, it boosts tourism, and it promotes quality of life,” says Bedford County EDA Chairman Jim Messier.

Business recruitment at NLBTC is also likely to surge due to not only an influx of outside visitors, but also to an increased focus on quality of life for employees.
“We believe it’s easier for businesses to attract great employees when quality of life in an area is present,” says Palmer.

“A business park with miles of multi-use trails and a world class disc golf course certainly offers prospective employees and employers ample opportunity to improve their quality of living. Playing a round of disc golf at lunch or after work is an opportunity to get outside, exercise, and have fun.”

Simplimatic Automation CFO Sara Orange agrees. Her company moved to NLBTC in 2015, and she says that she and other employees make use of the trails often and look forward to trying out the course as well. “The trails are great for walking, jogging or biking,” she notes. “Many employees—and their families—enjoy them during their lunch break, after work or on the weekends. We are very excited about this addition to the park and think it will provide another option for people to get outdoors and enjoy what the park has to offer.”

Palmer has high hopes for the New London Tech Disc Golf Course, and the community response to the project thus far has given him every reason to do so.

“The community support for the project has been incredible,” he says. “So many people have contacted me expressing thanks and support. I’d like to think that this course will be regarded as one of the best in the world and that that reputation will bring people from around the world to Bedford County. We’ll see.”

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Photos by Jenna Burling

Lynchburg Living Magazine is pleased to present the 2021 Giving Back Awards, designed to honor Lynchburg’s outstanding nonprofit organizations and recognize the often unsung groups living among us who transform our communities and enrich the lives of others. These organizations donate their time and their treasures to helping the Hill City. The winners—as determined by a highly respected panel of leaders in our community—will be revealed in our November/December 2021 issue. If you know of a deserving nonprofit, please fill out the nomination form below and tell us about the wonderful things they do for the community.

Nominations have now ended.
The results will be included in the November/December 2021 issue.