January 11, 2009 6:58 AM
Angel Food Ministries - food savings for all
With Tripp unable to work since September, we have been blessed to have received much help from area churches, schools and the Internet community. I'm 60 years old and this is the first time I've been so dependent on others, but I am glad God saw fit to add this experience to my life. We hear a lot of the generosity of Americans, but to see it so up close and personal is a spiritual revelation. Maybe something like Peter felt when Jesus knelt to wash his feet - so unworthy and yet so loved.
Heidi Renner, the parent liaison at Round Hill School has been very helpful in suggesting resources. Angel Food Ministries is not a charity exactly, but a wonderful ministry of making quality food more affordable for ANYONE. Every reader here will want to go to their site and read all about it:
Angel Food Ministries is a non-profit, non-denominational organization dedicated to providing grocery relief and financial support to communities throughout the United States. The program began in 1994 with 34 families in Monroe, Georgia (between Atlanta and Athens), and has grown to serve hundreds of thousands of families every month across 35 states. Angel Food Ministries crosses denominational lines and has spread the good news of the gospel of Christ through salvation tracts that are placed in each food order.
Blessings by the box
Angel Food is available in a quantity that can fit into a medium-sized box at $30 per unit. Each month's menu is different than the previous month and consists of both fresh and frozen items with an average retail value of approximately $60. Comparison shopping has been done across the country in various communities using a wide range of retail grocery stores and has resulted in the same food items costing from between $42 and $78.
Generally, one unit of food assists in feeding a family of four for about one week or a single senior citizen for almost a month. The food is all the same high quality one could purchase at a grocery store. There are no second-hand items, no damaged or out-dated goods, no dented cans without labels, no day-old breads and no produce that is almost too ripe.
Everyone qualifies:
There are no qualifications, minimums, income restrictions, or applications.Everyone is encouraged to participate. Some churches even encourage participants to apply the money they saved to help someone else in need.
Even if you are not interested, you may have friends and family who would be. Spread the word through your church and local advocacy groups. Also spread the word among senior citizens on fixed income: there is also a senior package of prepared meal.
Check the site to see if there is participation in your area. If not, can you find a way to bring it there? This is a wonderful ministry for any church to get involved in - a TRUE no-strings-attached service to the community.
The deadline for signing up for January's delivery at our local church participator - Round Hill Baptist, thank you so much for your good work! - is today. I just signed up for my family - and plan to remind you more in advance next month. If you sign up, drop a comment - also remember to come back when you receive your food next Saturday to tell us your experience.
Posted in Bargains, Practical Info | Permalink
Comments
We have used and been blessed by Angel Food a lot this year. It has helped us keep control of our food costs, which is a big deal right now for a lot of people. This is actually the first month in a while that I have not signed up, and it is past the Friday deadline at our local facility.
I am glad you found Angel Food and I hope you find it the blessing our family has.
Posted by: lambofHisflock | January 11, 2009 8:21 AM
We did Angel Food boxes for a long while and were pleased. The value is unbelievable. My only complaint is that the food, while tasty and of good quality in that sense, is VERY unhealthy most of the time (fried chicken fritters, pecan pies, frozen potatoes, etc). I wish they could offer better quality as far as produce, etc. But honestly, it is a GOOD program and a nice way to stock your freezer and pantry too.
I like that they are open to anyone. When we would go get our boxes, we saw people from all walks of life.
Posted by: TheNormalMiddle | January 11, 2009 1:03 PM
AngelFood doesn't work for us (we can't eat a lot of processed foods because one of our children is on Feingold) but I wanted to mention that Hillbilly Housewife has menus and to make the most of the AngelFood boxes.
Posted by: Milehimama | January 11, 2009 2:05 PM
We did this for about a year. I was very grateful as we were truly needy at that point. However, I was not thrilled with all the "junk food" after hearing the promises of "fresh" vegetables and fruit. We did once receive a small bag of carrots and another time a few onions and once a tiny bag of teeny-tiny potatoes. I was also upset that they wasted money on extremely-expensive decorate "ready-to-bake" cookies from the Doughboy and Aunt Sara Lee's expensive frozen pies. All of this money would have been better spent on more necessary food. Then there was the month when we got the most expensive form of milk ever processed--"long shelf life" vacum sealed milk! Ridiculously expensive! A box of powdered milk would be far better. I am not ungrateful for the food we got, just think they could better serve their clients by eliminating sugary junk deserts!! The meat was a mixed bag--some seriously gray hamburger and some excellent steaks. Ribs with no meat! Still, I would buy it again if need be.
Posted by: lisa | January 14, 2009 3:58 PM
