Update: According to the Christian News, Angel Food Ministries Shut Down for Good.
The economic news is starting to look slightly better, but for many people who are out of work, settling for a part-time job or struggling as small business owners, it’s still very difficult to make ends meet.
Food is usually the third biggest expense in a household budget. With diligence and know-how you can certainly scan coupon sites like CouponCabin.com and RetailMeNot.com for deals at a wide variety of stores and shop carefully. But sometimes that isn’t enough. If you need assistance with the basics, want to supplement your meal plan, or simply want to save money on food, Angel Food Ministries can be a big help .
Angel Food Ministries – Helping Americans Save Money on Food Costs
Angel Food Ministries
Angel Food Ministries is a nonprofit organization that now operates in 45 states and serves hundreds of thousands of families each month. There is no income requirement and no application to fill out. It distributes food boxes through 5200 volunteer host sites and is adding approximately 200 new host sites every month.
A basic food box contains fresh, frozen, canned and prepared foods: meat, chicken, vegetables, starch, fruit and canned goods, and the menu changes monthly. Each box will feed a family of four for a week or a single person for a month and costs $30. You can purchase gluten-free and allergen-free boxes as well. If you want to get extra meat or fruit boxes, these are available for between $25 and $28. For example, this month’s special is a 4 lb. Angus sirloin steak for $25. For seniors and people who either don’t have the time to cook or can‘t cook (like me), a box of 10 prepared convenience meals is available for $28.
Visit AngelFoodMinistries.com to check out everything the organization has to offer and to find a location near you. Frequently, distribution points are in churches or community centers. Once you’ve found a local site, click on it to get the current month’s menu and directions for picking up the food. Initially you have to call to get into their system and to place an order but after that you can order online. Food stamps can be used to purchase the boxes. The Angel Food Ministries website also offers recipes, nutrition information, and gift cards.
If you can’t find a distribution center close by, keep checking the website for monthly host additions and contact one of your local churches or community groups to find out if they might be interested in becoming a host site.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I have heard of this and looked into it a while back. Seeing that we are getting rid of about half of our belongings and really tightening the budget, I plan to look into it again. Such a wonderful program.
I guess with this is that if I don’t feel that I am in particular need of the savings from such a group that I would feel like I am taking advantage of it.
Personally I would love to get some of it just because it has a nice mix of stuff and I would use it all. However knowing that others may need the service and I can afford to go to the store and get whatever I need without a problem (though saving a few more bucks would be nice) I should not keep others from being able to.
If that is not what they are about, and are more of a service in general then I might would go. I do remember that in college a couple times I did get a box of stuff from them and even then felt a little like I was stealing it from the “poor”.
You’re not “taking advantage” of Angel Food if you buy groceries, but make too much money for food stamps. It’s a bulk purchase program. There needs to be a certain number of orders for the overall program to work, and also for the host sites to put the time into participating.
I’ve been a customer of Angel Food off and on since March 2008. I have found that the AF groceries mix in very well with the groceries I can buy on coupon or supermarket deals.
Here are my archives where you can see some of the groceries I’ve purchased and explain how it works http://www.blogsmonroe.com/budget/category/groceries/angel-food-ministries/
I love this program. I skip January and did only the after school box/fruit and veg for February. I am in the process of building up my order again. I ordered 2 specials for this month/March. If I can order more I will. What I like about Angel Food is you can order as much or s little as you want. If you have an stuffed freezer you can cut your order down or skip a month. Any one can order. There is no income guideline. No one can make to much or to little to get the food. You eat you can get it. I have heard the more that buys the better chance the prices stays down and more food is offer. I have in the past where Angel Food was the main source of our food that we ate. And I am going to try to get back to that again. It might take me a month or 2 to do it but I am going to try.
You aren’t taking anything from poor people by ordering!!!! Angel food has better negotiating power with suppliers when there are more orders. The bigger the bulk, the bigger the savings. If anything, it will be a help to people who are struggling, since the boxes will cost LESS if more people ordered. They are not going to run out of food! Now, some boxes are only offered in limited quantities, but if they run out of something in a signature box, they will substitute something similar. Anyone who needs this food will get it. You will not take anything from a poor family.