We were pleasantly happy to see that Angel Food Ministries was listed by Dr. Phil in his article on surviving a harsh economy.
The piece contains some good advice, yet still, it has other advice that you ought to discuss with your own financial experts; be it your father, son, daughter, mother, friend or relative whom you know has some experience in the field. However, Dr. Phil does give Angel Food Ministries a huge nod as a way to save money on food. For that reason alone, we suggest you take a look at the article.
I’ll just give you the highlights here, than you can read the rest on his site. (Here)
How to Find Money Hidden in Every Home
Money guru Mary Hunt is the author of Debt Proof Living: The Complete Guide to Living Financially Free. She offers tips for saving more and spending less:
… Food:
1. Use coupons
Go to www.couponmom.com and
www.thegrocerygame.com.
E-mail directly for coupons: Many companies will send cents-off coupons directly to you by simply e-mailing them from their Web sites and requesting information on how to obtain coupons.
2. Buy only what’s seasonal and on sale
3. Check the unit price
4. Stock up when you canCheapest food: Walmart Supercenter was the cheapest because they honor competitor’s coupons.
5. Fifty percent off food: Check the Internet to see if you have an Angel Food Ministry near you. They provide groceries at a 50 percent discount to those in need of grocery relief and financial support:
www.angelfoodministries.org.
From the Show
* Dr. Phil’s Recession Survival Squad
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Feeding my Family with Angel Food Ministries
We discovered Angel Food Ministries earlier this year when we were really struggling financially. We were working on a Family Budget and new that in order to make it we would have to figure out how to cut back on our grocery bill. We are a family of 5 with 3 teenagers who eat us out of house and home. So after talking to Consumer Counseling Credits Services we learned about an amazing network where you can feed a family of 4 for only $30 a week. This sounded amazing to us. By using Angel Food We have been able to cut down our grocery bill by $200 a month. We are actually thinking about buying a freezer so we can buy more since there is no limit. We figure the freezer will end up paying for itself within 2 months.
At first I was skeptical about Angel Food. I thought it was charity. I promise you it is not! Angel Food Ministries is a non denomiational organization that helps families like you save money on food. It has been a God Send to our family including my Mother who eats for only $30 a month. With Angel Food $30 will feed a senior for an entire month. Everyone qualifies. If you eat, you qualify.
The Angel Food Menu is abundant and the food is delicious and fresh.
At first I was skeptical about Angel Food. I thought it was charity. I promise you it is not! Angel Food Ministries is a non denomiational organization that helps families like you save money on food. It has been a God Send to our family including my Mother who eats for only $30 a month. With Angel Food $30 will feed a senior for an entire month. Everyone qualifies. If you eat, you qualify.
The Angel Food Menu is abundant and the food is delicious and fresh.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Angel Food Ministries Review
The Challenge: Does Angel Food Ministries really save money? If so, how much? And more importantly, is the food any good?
Methods: Angel Food Ministries is a not-for-profit organization that buys food directly from suppliers at substantial volume discounts. As a result, they are able to provide consumers with approximately $65 worth of food for just $30. They have locations in 45 states. Angel Food Ministries does NOT sell out of date or inferior products. This is quality, nutritious food – just like you’d get at the grocery store.
About the Food: Each month's menu is different. They offer fresh, frozen and packaged food. Because they make a variety of nutritionally-balanced food available at a significant discount on a regular basis, budget-conscious consumers can put food on the table and use the savings to get ahead financially. There are neither purchasing limits for Angel Food, nor any applications to fill out, nor any other qualifications to purchase through them. You can order online, or in person at the pickup location near you. They also accept food stamps.
Study Design: Our family of 8 usually spends about $1000 per month on groceries. So I ordered 8 Signature Boxes of Angel Food containing food similar to the one on the left.
Because one Signature box is enough to assist in feeding a family of four for a week, I figured our mega-sized family would need 8 boxes to provide a month’s worth of food. I ordered online and used coupon code “ZOOMFEEDBACK” to save an extra 10% off. (This reduced the price by an extra $24!) So our total cost for a month of Angel Food was just $216 (+ $2 online ordering fee) = $218.
To provide an incentive for our kids to comply, we told them they could use any money we saved to plan a family vacation of their choice. With the understanding that any takeout or restaurant meals would also be deducted from the food budget (which they renamed “vacation money.”) Incidentally, the Angel Food Budget test had an amazing effect on the reducing the overall “whine factor” for fast-food and takeout. Only once, throughout the entire month, did any of our six children ask for takeout. (Typically at least one of them will ask every day!) In this case, he was quickly reminded by his siblings that it would “waste” vacation money. Then they followed up with words I never thought I’d hear them say “Anyway, there’s food at the house!”
Results: The food was very good. The kids liked it and so did my husband and I. We tabulated the costs at the end of the month and we had spent $580 total on food instead of the usual $1000. Angel Food had saved us $420 in just one month! And we still had plenty of food left over. (Our kids are little and still have small appetites; in retrospect, we probably could have gotten by with just 6 Signature Boxes.) Anyhow, it turned out that we only needed to grocery shop to replenish milk, butter, lunchbox staples, fresh fruits and vegetables. For the first time in years I was able to use the express checkout lane! To make sure I saved as much as I could I also used free printable grocery coupons on each trip to the grocery store. But I suspect we would’ve saved even more if we had ordered the “Just for Me After School Boxes” and the “After School Fruit and Vegetable Boxes” to pack the kids lunches.
Doing the math, using the After School Boxes for the children’s lunches would’ve cost just 67¢ per lunch! (We’re definitely ordering those this month – despite the fact that school is out for summer, they’ll still need to eat!) Our kids liked the food from the Signature Box (and the savings) so much that they actually asked if we would order again so they could save for a longer, better vacation!
How can Angel Food Ministries afford to do this?
There are two major components that explain how they are able to provide restaurant quality food at such a low price. (Keep in mind, this is NOT Scratched or Dented, NO out-dated food, NO donated food, this is quality, fresh food like you’d get at the grocery store.)
Because Angel Food Ministries is so large, they are able to purchase from manufacturers in bulk, this reduces costs. Then by utilizing local churches or non-profit organizations and their dedicated volunteers to distribute the food, they avoid many of the expenses that grocery stores or discount warehouses incur. (No mortgage, no payroll, no utilities, etc.) This fact alone significantly reduces overhead expenses in getting the food to consumers. Angel Food Ministries cuts out several “middlemen” and buys from manufacturers in bulk so they can pass along substantial savings to consumers.
Conclusion: Angel Food Ministries is a great option to reduce the cost of providing food for your family. If you are struggling financially, or just want to start saving money wherever you can, we found it to be an easy, affordable option to reduce the amount we spend on groceries every month.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Juda Engelmayer Working for Angels
Our old friend Juda Engelmayer has been known on the Lower East Side as a PR person and, on occasion, a political advisor. But a few years ago his life changed. One of his clients recommended him, yarmulke, NY accent and all, to become a spokesman for Angel Food, a Christian ministry that functions as a large food cooperative operating in 44 states and more than 6000 communities. He spoke to us over the phone from Monroe, Georgia, near Atlanta.
Juda Engelmayer: Angel Food was started in 1994, in the little mill town of Monroe, GA, by pastors Joe and Linda Wingo. It’s a proud, blue collar, southern town, where the mills were closing down, people were losing their jobs, and Pastor Joe saw that people were scurrying around for food, neglecting their families, their faith, and their community. Their priority was, let me put food in my belly to sustain me, so I can find a job.
At first he thought that giving away free food would help. He went around collecting coupons and buying dented cans and leftovers, and he tried to give food away locally, in Monroe. Nobody would take it. Then he came up with a beautiful insight: there are two types of pride in the world, good pride and bad pride. The good pride is, you’re in trouble, so you wake up early in the morning, you take a shower and get going. The bad pride is, you need help and someone is extending a hand, but you don’t want to take it, because you’re too proud.
So Pastor Joe decided to add a small fee on the food, just to cover his costs. In the first month, he had 34 families come to him for food. He went to every church in the community and said, bring me more people who need food, I’ll feed them, and for every person you bring me, I’ll give you a dollar. Angel Food was built on that. We’ve sold more than 22 million boxes of food, and given away more than 30 million dollars in charity throughout the country over the past 16 years.
And it’s no longer dented cans, it’s first-rate, supermarket quality products that you get from national vendors, like ConAgra, General Mills, Kraft, Betty Crocker, Perdue, Tyson.
We get good prices paying the vendors up front, so we get the most bare bone rates they can give. Most supermarkets operate on 30- to 90-day pay cycles. You bring them the food today, you send an invoice, and in one to three months you’ll get paid. With us, they bring us the food, they get paid. We buy close to 14 million dollars worth of food every month, and we pay our vendors pretty much up front.
When I started working for Angel Food, New York had about 18 host sites, local churches or not-for-profits that run our food cooperatives on their premises. Now, between New York and New Jersey, we’re up to 62 host sites. I’ve been trying to add synagogues to the list, but it’s been tough to get a synagogue to affiliate with a Christian ministry. I’m working on a fully kosher menu right now, actually...
Most of the food is produce and proteins – meat items, and I believe we can pull off a kosher meat menu. Before I get a synagogue to join, I’ll probably get a Jewish community center to work with us. The angle I’m thinking of is that we are like the kolel store, except you don’t have to drive out to Brooklyn.
Food is very political nowadays. How do you manage the organic versus major corporate?
In the last six months we’ve been buying produce more locally. We used to have everything shipped to our warehouse in Georgia or Texas, and then ship it out across the country. Now our produce is being packed in three different locations around the country, more locally. So people can take pride that they are helping the growers in their own region, and we leave a smaller carbon print.
We’re not looking to compete with Whole Foods, we can’t. We’re getting good stuff, but it’s not going to be necessarily organic. Unless, of course, the manufacturer has an overrun of a certain product and we can negotiate for a good price on it.
You know you’re starting to sound like a capitalist.
Working for a food ministry has taught me that there’s a great need out there, that can be served not necessarily through people getting it for free, but through people doing it themselves with a little help. I sound like a capitalist because you still have to work in the real world and negotiate with vendors, who may or may not share your vision or your goals or your mission. You still need to get the food from them.
Has it changed you spiritually as well?
It’s been a unique experience for me. I’m the only Jewish person working in a Christian ministry. Traveling around the country as I’ve been doing, I’m seeing the impact it’s had on local communities. People are coming together for a common cause, volunteers helping out at their local churches and community groups, packing the boxes for people,
putting them together, taking them to their cars.
I saw a woman walk over to my boss, she hugs him, breaks down and cries, I don’t have any money, she says, and I’ve been looking for ways to help people out. Now I come down all the time, I help people with their groceries, I see them smile, I’m giving something back. And I like to believe God appreciates the work I’m doing.
It’s the same for me, Engelmayer says. It’s the most rewarding job I’ve ever had. I get to do everything I love doing, for a cause I truly believe in. I was in Bakersfield, California, last year, it was our biggest distribution in the country, 2800 units out of one church. They have this giant parking lot in front of this non-denominational Church, and there were folks of all walks of life, every race, every denomination, even some Jews. They had a gospel band, a tent to shelter seniors from the sun, some people were preaching, one guy was putting on a show, they had a high school football team with shopping carts running the groceries for people waiting on line. It was a carnival.
As an observant Jew, do you run into sharp corners?
He laughs. I’m treated better here than when I worked for Jews... They actually enjoy my presence; I engage in dialogue with my boss and his wife, who are both pastors, all the time, but they made the point that they’re not trying to save my soul, they would never want to make me feel uncomfortable. My boss’s wife and I have had a few conversations over the differences between our faiths, but we keep it very respectful.
They have kosher food brought in from Atlanta for me. They’re so nervous they’ll get it wrong, they overdo it. I thank them for the meat, but I tell them you don’t have to get me lettuce that was checked, just get me a head of lettuce, I’ll check it myself. And when we eat together, they like to take turns saying a prayer before the meal, and when it’s my turn, they love hearing me say the blessings in Hebrew…
Yori Yanover
Juda Engelmayer: Angel Food was started in 1994, in the little mill town of Monroe, GA, by pastors Joe and Linda Wingo. It’s a proud, blue collar, southern town, where the mills were closing down, people were losing their jobs, and Pastor Joe saw that people were scurrying around for food, neglecting their families, their faith, and their community. Their priority was, let me put food in my belly to sustain me, so I can find a job.
At first he thought that giving away free food would help. He went around collecting coupons and buying dented cans and leftovers, and he tried to give food away locally, in Monroe. Nobody would take it. Then he came up with a beautiful insight: there are two types of pride in the world, good pride and bad pride. The good pride is, you’re in trouble, so you wake up early in the morning, you take a shower and get going. The bad pride is, you need help and someone is extending a hand, but you don’t want to take it, because you’re too proud.
So Pastor Joe decided to add a small fee on the food, just to cover his costs. In the first month, he had 34 families come to him for food. He went to every church in the community and said, bring me more people who need food, I’ll feed them, and for every person you bring me, I’ll give you a dollar. Angel Food was built on that. We’ve sold more than 22 million boxes of food, and given away more than 30 million dollars in charity throughout the country over the past 16 years.
And it’s no longer dented cans, it’s first-rate, supermarket quality products that you get from national vendors, like ConAgra, General Mills, Kraft, Betty Crocker, Perdue, Tyson.
We get good prices paying the vendors up front, so we get the most bare bone rates they can give. Most supermarkets operate on 30- to 90-day pay cycles. You bring them the food today, you send an invoice, and in one to three months you’ll get paid. With us, they bring us the food, they get paid. We buy close to 14 million dollars worth of food every month, and we pay our vendors pretty much up front.
When I started working for Angel Food, New York had about 18 host sites, local churches or not-for-profits that run our food cooperatives on their premises. Now, between New York and New Jersey, we’re up to 62 host sites. I’ve been trying to add synagogues to the list, but it’s been tough to get a synagogue to affiliate with a Christian ministry. I’m working on a fully kosher menu right now, actually...
Most of the food is produce and proteins – meat items, and I believe we can pull off a kosher meat menu. Before I get a synagogue to join, I’ll probably get a Jewish community center to work with us. The angle I’m thinking of is that we are like the kolel store, except you don’t have to drive out to Brooklyn.
Food is very political nowadays. How do you manage the organic versus major corporate?
In the last six months we’ve been buying produce more locally. We used to have everything shipped to our warehouse in Georgia or Texas, and then ship it out across the country. Now our produce is being packed in three different locations around the country, more locally. So people can take pride that they are helping the growers in their own region, and we leave a smaller carbon print.
We’re not looking to compete with Whole Foods, we can’t. We’re getting good stuff, but it’s not going to be necessarily organic. Unless, of course, the manufacturer has an overrun of a certain product and we can negotiate for a good price on it.
You know you’re starting to sound like a capitalist.
Working for a food ministry has taught me that there’s a great need out there, that can be served not necessarily through people getting it for free, but through people doing it themselves with a little help. I sound like a capitalist because you still have to work in the real world and negotiate with vendors, who may or may not share your vision or your goals or your mission. You still need to get the food from them.
Has it changed you spiritually as well?
It’s been a unique experience for me. I’m the only Jewish person working in a Christian ministry. Traveling around the country as I’ve been doing, I’m seeing the impact it’s had on local communities. People are coming together for a common cause, volunteers helping out at their local churches and community groups, packing the boxes for people,
putting them together, taking them to their cars.
I saw a woman walk over to my boss, she hugs him, breaks down and cries, I don’t have any money, she says, and I’ve been looking for ways to help people out. Now I come down all the time, I help people with their groceries, I see them smile, I’m giving something back. And I like to believe God appreciates the work I’m doing.
It’s the same for me, Engelmayer says. It’s the most rewarding job I’ve ever had. I get to do everything I love doing, for a cause I truly believe in. I was in Bakersfield, California, last year, it was our biggest distribution in the country, 2800 units out of one church. They have this giant parking lot in front of this non-denominational Church, and there were folks of all walks of life, every race, every denomination, even some Jews. They had a gospel band, a tent to shelter seniors from the sun, some people were preaching, one guy was putting on a show, they had a high school football team with shopping carts running the groceries for people waiting on line. It was a carnival.
As an observant Jew, do you run into sharp corners?
He laughs. I’m treated better here than when I worked for Jews... They actually enjoy my presence; I engage in dialogue with my boss and his wife, who are both pastors, all the time, but they made the point that they’re not trying to save my soul, they would never want to make me feel uncomfortable. My boss’s wife and I have had a few conversations over the differences between our faiths, but we keep it very respectful.
They have kosher food brought in from Atlanta for me. They’re so nervous they’ll get it wrong, they overdo it. I thank them for the meat, but I tell them you don’t have to get me lettuce that was checked, just get me a head of lettuce, I’ll check it myself. And when we eat together, they like to take turns saying a prayer before the meal, and when it’s my turn, they love hearing me say the blessings in Hebrew…
Yori Yanover
Angel Food Sends Relief to Gulf Region
WDSU Channel 6
Charity Brings Food To Out-Of-Work Fishermen
Group Helps Workers Affected By Gulf Oil Spill
POSTED: 4:38 pm CDT June 8, 2010
UPDATED: 5:55 pm CDT June 8, 2010
ST. BERNARD PARISH, La. — Dozens of volunteers hit the streets in St. Bernard Parish on Tuesday to help needy
fishermen and their families.
The volunteers came because they felt compelled to help. A trailer of food was donated by Angel Food Ministries, and the workers came from Texas. Pastors said the economy and the oil spill are hitting local families hard, and the help is welcome.
“One tragedy after another,” said Mike Engolia, who came seeking help. “You can’t let it get you down. I’m not giving up; I’m a strong
man.”
The line of cars stretched for miles down the road. Among the crowd were many shrimpers, including Lonnie Knight.(More)
ABC News 26
Free Food for Families in St. Bernard Parish
Written by WGNO ABC26 News | Tuesday, 08 June 2010 12:30
Relief for families affected by the oil spill. 36,000 pounds of food was handed out in St. Bernard Parish Tuesday afternoon. ABC26
News Reporter Vanessa Bolano was there.
The House of Refuge Church in St. Bernard Parish turned into a drive-by grocery store. Pastor Jim Jeffries says, “We invited the parish. Whoever needs some food, been out of work, to just come, and so they’re coming.”
For as far as the eye can see, cars lined up along Highway 46. They’re waiting for bags food donated by Angel Food Ministries. Down here, if you don’t need help, you know someone who does. (More)
WWLTV – Eyewitness News
St. Bernard food giveaway draws long line
by Bill Capo / Eyewitness News
wwltv.com
Posted on June 8, 2010 at 2:44 PM
In Yscloskey, at the peak of the fishing season, the boats are lined up at the docks, some loaded with oil boom instead of fishing gear.
Just up the highway, cars were lined up at the House of Refuge Church, to receive donations of food, a sign of the growing financial struggle for fishing industry families.
“We need the food,” said Sue Dalon of Violet, who said her family’s income has dwindled since the spill. “It’s dropped off just about all of it, just about everything. It’s horrible.”
Volunteers sweating in the blazing sun unloaded a trailer filled with 38,000 pounds of food donated by Angel Food Ministries. (Read
More)
→ Leave a CommentCategories: Angel Food Ministries · Charity · Disaster Relief · Flood · Food Insecurity
Tagged: Angel Food Ministries, Charity, BP Oil, St. Bernard Parish, joe win
Angel Food Ministries’ Offers Relief to Fisherman in Louisiana
June 7, 2010 · 1 Comment
St. Bernard, Louisiana (June 7, 2010) – Angel Food Ministries (www.angelfoodministries.com), an organization dedicated to providing affordable, high-quality food to those in need, is helping Louisiana fisherman and their families affected by the oil spill.
The Gulf region is seeing one of the biggest environmental disasters ever, with the BP oil leak pouring millions of gallons into the waters, polluting the nearby land, destroying the wildlife, and harming the fishing and seafood industries.
Angel Food Ministries is donating a filled tractor trailer of food to local fishermen left unable to work due to the oil spill. Many are jobless; others may be very soon, leaving them and their families without food. On top of a bad economy, the oil spill has adding fuel to the financial fire. AFM will be joining efforts with its partner, Celebration Church, in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, to distribute the food with hope of helping make a difference.
“The St Bernard’s Pastors coalition is networking together to distribute the food that Angel Food Ministries is generously providing. We recognize the needs of the families here and we are working together to help them in any way possible,” said Pastor Craig Ratliff of Celebration Church.
“The full impact of this oil problem is hard to determine yet, but we do know that people are going without right now. That we can help right away and Angel Food Ministries will always help where we are able,” Pastor Joe Wingo, Angel Food CEO, said.
WHAT: Food will be distributed in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana for hungry fisherman
WHERE: House of Refuge Church, 1561 Hwy 46, St. Bernard, LA
WHEN: June 8th, 2010 at 12:00pm.
If you would like to help or find out more information please contact Pastor Craig Ratliff at 504.248.0688 or Katrina Weber at 678.979.9513.
Anyone who wishes to make use of Angel Food’s services can call 1-888-819-3745 or visit www.angelfoodministries.com to find the nearest host site.
About Angel Food Ministries
Angel Food Ministries (www.angelfoodministries.com) is a non-profit, non-denominational organization dedicated to providing financial support in the form of food relief to communities throughout the United States. Established in 1994 to provide relief for struggling families in the Monroe, GA area, Angel Food Ministries today serves hundreds of thousands of families across 45 states, recently welcoming Oregon to the roster where Angel Food’s benefits can be realized. Since inception, Angel Food Ministries has fed more than 22 million Americans. In 2008, AFM provided $120 million in direct food assistance to American families.
Contact: Katrina Weber
news@angelfoodministries.com
Charity Brings Food To Out-Of-Work Fishermen
Group Helps Workers Affected By Gulf Oil Spill
POSTED: 4:38 pm CDT June 8, 2010
UPDATED: 5:55 pm CDT June 8, 2010
ST. BERNARD PARISH, La. — Dozens of volunteers hit the streets in St. Bernard Parish on Tuesday to help needy
fishermen and their families.
The volunteers came because they felt compelled to help. A trailer of food was donated by Angel Food Ministries, and the workers came from Texas. Pastors said the economy and the oil spill are hitting local families hard, and the help is welcome.
“One tragedy after another,” said Mike Engolia, who came seeking help. “You can’t let it get you down. I’m not giving up; I’m a strong
man.”
The line of cars stretched for miles down the road. Among the crowd were many shrimpers, including Lonnie Knight.(More)
ABC News 26
Free Food for Families in St. Bernard Parish
Written by WGNO ABC26 News | Tuesday, 08 June 2010 12:30
Relief for families affected by the oil spill. 36,000 pounds of food was handed out in St. Bernard Parish Tuesday afternoon. ABC26
News Reporter Vanessa Bolano was there.
The House of Refuge Church in St. Bernard Parish turned into a drive-by grocery store. Pastor Jim Jeffries says, “We invited the parish. Whoever needs some food, been out of work, to just come, and so they’re coming.”
For as far as the eye can see, cars lined up along Highway 46. They’re waiting for bags food donated by Angel Food Ministries. Down here, if you don’t need help, you know someone who does. (More)
WWLTV – Eyewitness News
St. Bernard food giveaway draws long line
by Bill Capo / Eyewitness News
wwltv.com
Posted on June 8, 2010 at 2:44 PM
In Yscloskey, at the peak of the fishing season, the boats are lined up at the docks, some loaded with oil boom instead of fishing gear.
Just up the highway, cars were lined up at the House of Refuge Church, to receive donations of food, a sign of the growing financial struggle for fishing industry families.
“We need the food,” said Sue Dalon of Violet, who said her family’s income has dwindled since the spill. “It’s dropped off just about all of it, just about everything. It’s horrible.”
Volunteers sweating in the blazing sun unloaded a trailer filled with 38,000 pounds of food donated by Angel Food Ministries. (Read
More)
→ Leave a CommentCategories: Angel Food Ministries · Charity · Disaster Relief · Flood · Food Insecurity
Tagged: Angel Food Ministries, Charity, BP Oil, St. Bernard Parish, joe win
Angel Food Ministries’ Offers Relief to Fisherman in Louisiana
June 7, 2010 · 1 Comment
St. Bernard, Louisiana (June 7, 2010) – Angel Food Ministries (www.angelfoodministries.com), an organization dedicated to providing affordable, high-quality food to those in need, is helping Louisiana fisherman and their families affected by the oil spill.
The Gulf region is seeing one of the biggest environmental disasters ever, with the BP oil leak pouring millions of gallons into the waters, polluting the nearby land, destroying the wildlife, and harming the fishing and seafood industries.
Angel Food Ministries is donating a filled tractor trailer of food to local fishermen left unable to work due to the oil spill. Many are jobless; others may be very soon, leaving them and their families without food. On top of a bad economy, the oil spill has adding fuel to the financial fire. AFM will be joining efforts with its partner, Celebration Church, in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, to distribute the food with hope of helping make a difference.
“The St Bernard’s Pastors coalition is networking together to distribute the food that Angel Food Ministries is generously providing. We recognize the needs of the families here and we are working together to help them in any way possible,” said Pastor Craig Ratliff of Celebration Church.
“The full impact of this oil problem is hard to determine yet, but we do know that people are going without right now. That we can help right away and Angel Food Ministries will always help where we are able,” Pastor Joe Wingo, Angel Food CEO, said.
WHAT: Food will be distributed in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana for hungry fisherman
WHERE: House of Refuge Church, 1561 Hwy 46, St. Bernard, LA
WHEN: June 8th, 2010 at 12:00pm.
If you would like to help or find out more information please contact Pastor Craig Ratliff at 504.248.0688 or Katrina Weber at 678.979.9513.
Anyone who wishes to make use of Angel Food’s services can call 1-888-819-3745 or visit www.angelfoodministries.com to find the nearest host site.
About Angel Food Ministries
Angel Food Ministries (www.angelfoodministries.com) is a non-profit, non-denominational organization dedicated to providing financial support in the form of food relief to communities throughout the United States. Established in 1994 to provide relief for struggling families in the Monroe, GA area, Angel Food Ministries today serves hundreds of thousands of families across 45 states, recently welcoming Oregon to the roster where Angel Food’s benefits can be realized. Since inception, Angel Food Ministries has fed more than 22 million Americans. In 2008, AFM provided $120 million in direct food assistance to American families.
Contact: Katrina Weber
news@angelfoodministries.com
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Food ministry expands to after-school packs
BY COURTENAY EDELHART, Californian staff writer
cedelhart@bakersfield.com | Tuesday, May 18 2010 05:25 PM
Angel Food Ministries, a nonprofit agency that provides deeply discounted groceries to families with tight budgets, has added a new service in response to one side effect of the economic downturn -- lunch and snacks for children home alone.
"Due to the economy, some parents are not going to be able to put their kids in summer day camps as they may have done in the past when school was out," said Marisa Banks, administrator of the food program at Compassion Christian Center, one of about a dozen Bakersfield area Angel Food Ministries host sites.
"Very few people can afford not to work these days, so a lot of children are going to be home alone while their parents are working," Banks said.
California, like most states, does not specify the precise age at which it is acceptable to leave a child home unsupervised, but authorities may intervene at any time if a child is believed to be in danger.
Headquartered in Monroe, Ga., Angel Food Ministries gets bulk rate discounts from food suppliers, enabling it to sell groceries to the public at roughly half the normal retail price. There are no income limits to participate in the program, which is administered by nearly 6,000 churches, nonprofits and other organizations in 44 states.
Needy families order groceries in advance off a menu that changes every month, and pick the box up from the nearest host site once a month.
Most consumers order the Signature Box, which includes enough food to feed a family of four for a week and costs $30.
But there are niche boxes, too, such as 10 fully cooked meals for $28, or all seafood for $35, or food free of nuts, gluten and other common allergens for $23.
Two months ago, Angel Food introduced two new boxes.
The Just 4 Me After School Box for $24 features corndogs, chicken tenders and other child-friendly foods that either are ready to eat or can be prepared in a microwave as opposed to an oven or stove.
The $16 Just 4 Me Fruit and Veggie Box is just what it sounds like, fruits and vegetables or processed foods made from them, such as applesauce, juice and sweet potato chips.
"People kept asking for this," said Angel Food spokesman Juda Engelmayer. "We're constantly soliciting feedback from our customers, and this one came up in record numbers.
"It just kind of shows where the economy is. The reality is, child care is expensive so a lot of kids are unsupervised after school. Families need something to tide them over until the parents can get home from work."
cedelhart@bakersfield.com | Tuesday, May 18 2010 05:25 PM
Angel Food Ministries, a nonprofit agency that provides deeply discounted groceries to families with tight budgets, has added a new service in response to one side effect of the economic downturn -- lunch and snacks for children home alone.
"Due to the economy, some parents are not going to be able to put their kids in summer day camps as they may have done in the past when school was out," said Marisa Banks, administrator of the food program at Compassion Christian Center, one of about a dozen Bakersfield area Angel Food Ministries host sites.
"Very few people can afford not to work these days, so a lot of children are going to be home alone while their parents are working," Banks said.
California, like most states, does not specify the precise age at which it is acceptable to leave a child home unsupervised, but authorities may intervene at any time if a child is believed to be in danger.
Headquartered in Monroe, Ga., Angel Food Ministries gets bulk rate discounts from food suppliers, enabling it to sell groceries to the public at roughly half the normal retail price. There are no income limits to participate in the program, which is administered by nearly 6,000 churches, nonprofits and other organizations in 44 states.
Needy families order groceries in advance off a menu that changes every month, and pick the box up from the nearest host site once a month.
Most consumers order the Signature Box, which includes enough food to feed a family of four for a week and costs $30.
But there are niche boxes, too, such as 10 fully cooked meals for $28, or all seafood for $35, or food free of nuts, gluten and other common allergens for $23.
Two months ago, Angel Food introduced two new boxes.
The Just 4 Me After School Box for $24 features corndogs, chicken tenders and other child-friendly foods that either are ready to eat or can be prepared in a microwave as opposed to an oven or stove.
The $16 Just 4 Me Fruit and Veggie Box is just what it sounds like, fruits and vegetables or processed foods made from them, such as applesauce, juice and sweet potato chips.
"People kept asking for this," said Angel Food spokesman Juda Engelmayer. "We're constantly soliciting feedback from our customers, and this one came up in record numbers.
"It just kind of shows where the economy is. The reality is, child care is expensive so a lot of kids are unsupervised after school. Families need something to tide them over until the parents can get home from work."
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Voices from Our Volunteers
We here at Angel Food Ministries wanted to share the experiences of our volunteers. Without these dedicated individuals, AFM would not be able to provide the nation’s families with affordable, high quality food.
Recently, AFM received an email from Pastor Mark Cowart from Church for All Nations in Colorado Springs, CO. He could only sing praises for the determined Host Site Director and volunteer team as they faced wintery challenges during their local distribution in March. In appreciation Pastor Joe wanted to share their triumphant story.
This is the letter Angel Food Ministries received from Pastor Daniel Spangler from Church of All Nations Southwest Campus.
“Winds this morning were between 45 and 50 plus mph, making the snow feel like tiny needles. With these conditions, the Angel Food volunteers knew this would be a challenging distribution, but attacked and unloaded the truck as fast as any other month. We actually had the truck driver back his truck up to provide us and the other host sites some wind protection. This helped while we loaded the perspective churches with their boxes. We gave half the outside team a break so they could warm up inside for 15 minutes. Then they would then switch off and another team would go warm up. Even with the treacherous conditions no one wanted to leave, talk about camaraderie (for food, WOW). After serving all the host sites, we loaded our foyer with the food for our distribution (thank goodness no more wind).
I thought that today would be the distribution that people would stay home considering the high winds and snow, but they all proved me wrong, every box was handed out. Some of them sat in the foyer thawing out, while we served them and then walked them back to their car. The volunteers were incredible Pastor, you should have seen them.
One of the AFM volunteers, Paul even came out and threw down some ice-melt on the sidewalks so people wouldn’t slide. No injuries, thank you God!
Our outreach team was also at Southwest today. We coordinated with Fort Carson to have families come to and pick up a box of food. The team did an amazing job. A total of 54 boxes were distributed to our Military families.
A special thank you goes to all the volunteers. We could not have accomplished distribution today without God’s help and our volunteers.”
Angel Food Ministries appreciates the hard work and dedication of its volunteers. It is an honor to be a teaching tool for the future generations on the value of community, family and the desire to be helping hand in society.
-Courtney Armistead
Recently, AFM received an email from Pastor Mark Cowart from Church for All Nations in Colorado Springs, CO. He could only sing praises for the determined Host Site Director and volunteer team as they faced wintery challenges during their local distribution in March. In appreciation Pastor Joe wanted to share their triumphant story.
This is the letter Angel Food Ministries received from Pastor Daniel Spangler from Church of All Nations Southwest Campus.
“Winds this morning were between 45 and 50 plus mph, making the snow feel like tiny needles. With these conditions, the Angel Food volunteers knew this would be a challenging distribution, but attacked and unloaded the truck as fast as any other month. We actually had the truck driver back his truck up to provide us and the other host sites some wind protection. This helped while we loaded the perspective churches with their boxes. We gave half the outside team a break so they could warm up inside for 15 minutes. Then they would then switch off and another team would go warm up. Even with the treacherous conditions no one wanted to leave, talk about camaraderie (for food, WOW). After serving all the host sites, we loaded our foyer with the food for our distribution (thank goodness no more wind).
I thought that today would be the distribution that people would stay home considering the high winds and snow, but they all proved me wrong, every box was handed out. Some of them sat in the foyer thawing out, while we served them and then walked them back to their car. The volunteers were incredible Pastor, you should have seen them.
One of the AFM volunteers, Paul even came out and threw down some ice-melt on the sidewalks so people wouldn’t slide. No injuries, thank you God!
Our outreach team was also at Southwest today. We coordinated with Fort Carson to have families come to and pick up a box of food. The team did an amazing job. A total of 54 boxes were distributed to our Military families.
A special thank you goes to all the volunteers. We could not have accomplished distribution today without God’s help and our volunteers.”
Angel Food Ministries appreciates the hard work and dedication of its volunteers. It is an honor to be a teaching tool for the future generations on the value of community, family and the desire to be helping hand in society.
-Courtney Armistead
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Angel Food Ministries Donates Food for Thought
By Courtney Armistead
Monroe, GA (March 30, 2010) –Angel Food Ministries (www.angelfoodministries.com), a non-profit, non-denominational food relief ministry dedicated to providing affordable high-quality food to those in need, will also be donating nutritional supplements to Walton County School systems.
For the past five years, Angel Food Ministries has been a proud supporter of its local school systems. AFM continues to promote the growth of education by donating 4,000 fruit bars to students at Carver Middle School. The students will be taking the CRCT Exam. This exam is a standardized Georgia Exam that measures the students’ aptitude at the Middle School level.
Angel Food Ministries encourages positive mental development and the growth of students’ futures. “Angel Food Ministries has been absolutely wonderful. This provides our students the nutrition for maximum achievements”, comments Donna Hawk, School/Community Special Project Coordinator for Carver Middle School.
Testing for the CRCT Exam will be held from March 30th-April 2nd, 2010 at Carver Middle School located at 1095 Good Hope Rd. Monroe, GA 30655.
Please contact Katrina Weber at 1-888-819-3745 for any questions concerning Angel Food Ministries, or Donna Hawk at 770-380-4449, Donna.Hawk@walton.k12.ga.us for any questions concerning Carver Middle School.
Anyone who wishes to learn more about how to utilize Angel Food’s services can call 1-888-819-3745 or visit www.angelfoodministries.com to find the nearest host site.
About Angel Food Ministries
Angel Food Ministries (www.angelfoodministries.com) is a non-profit, non-denominational organization dedicated to providing financial support in the form of food relief to communities throughout the United States. Established in 1994 to provide relief for struggling families in the Monroe, GA area; Angel Food Ministries now serves hundreds of thousands of families across 42 states, most recently welcoming Nevada to the roster. Since inception, Angel Food Ministries has fed more than 22 million Americans. In 2008, AFM provided $120 million in direct food assistance to American families.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Johnny Willis’s new book series is to be release May 11th. Order your copy today!
Product description
This book is also available for purchase as an eBook download. Welcome to the world of eBooks where instead of receiving a physical paper book in the mail, you would be given access to the eBook file for this complete book. Within minutes you can be reading this book on your computer, PDA, cellphone or a stand-alone eBook reader (such as the Sony Reader)—at a reduced cost! Click the "Order Online" button below to purchase this eBook download today!
$6.99 (digital download)
This book is also available for purchase as an eBook download. Welcome to the world of eBooks where instead of receiving a physical paper book in the mail, you would be given access to the eBook file for this complete book. Within minutes you can be reading this book on your computer, PDA, cellphone or a stand-alone eBook reader (such as the Sony Reader)—at a reduced cost! Click the "Order Online" button below to purchase this eBook download today!
$5.99 (digital download)
 | Servant Worthy by Johnny Willis "Before God chooses to use someone in the earth, he has already proven them to be servant worthy. Servant Worthy reveals the needed loyalty as well as the commitment level of anyone who is called to ministry. Speaking from thirty-nine years of successful cutting-edge ministry as a pastor, author Johnny Willis gives fresh new insight on what God is looking for today before one can expect the release of God's anointing upon their lives to accompany their call. Servant Worthy gives a invigorating look at a recurring theme throughout the Bible, how God proves the heart of a person before considering them for service. David, weary with fighting had a nostalgic moment and voiced his thirst for water from the well in Bethlehem. Three of his soldiers heard the desire of their king and decreed: 'If my king wants water from Bethlehem, He shall have it.' These three men broke through the enemy territory putting their lives in jeopardy. Their loyalty to the call of serving their king meant more to them than the value of their individual lives. They performed a selfless act that encouraged the King and turned the tide for Israel's future. The beginning of being useable to great leaders, great breakthroughs, and great moments in your life comes when you stop saying no to God's calling in your life and allow his will to become yours! Johnny Willis is an ordained minister with a doctorate in theology from Springs of Life Bible College. Having a ministry that now spans four decades, his technique for teaching and mentorship strengthens the church as well as the leader. Servant Worthy is the leader's choice as a training tool with perfect biblical examples of true loyalty necessary for the call." 108 pages - $10.99 (paperback) http://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-61566-996-7 |
This book is also available for purchase as an eBook download. Welcome to the world of eBooks where instead of receiving a physical paper book in the mail, you would be given access to the eBook file for this complete book. Within minutes you can be reading this book on your computer, PDA, cellphone or a stand-alone eBook reader (such as the Sony Reader)—at a reduced cost! Click the "Order Online" button below to purchase this eBook download today!
$6.99 (digital download)
 | Surviving the Sifting of God by Johnny Willis "It doesn't matter who we are or what our accomplishments in life are; we are absolutely no good to God until we submit to the sifting of God. The enemy of your soul would do everything to keep you from being totally submissive to God and His will for your life. Surviving the Sifting of God is a hard-hitting truth that causes every believer to examine themselves in their walk with the Lord. God transforms lives when they are willing to allow him to touch anything that Satan has secretly placed there to be a stumbling block to them. Surviving the Sifting of God uses ordinary biblical characters to point out how Satan will attempt to come against you to prevent you from accomplishing God's ultimate purpose for your life. Peter, the man that Jesus would call to be the first pastor of the New Testament church would face the sifter and would fail miserably! The good news is that Jesus promised him that He had already prayed for him. Through the sifting process Peter learned that there was an unfailing faith in a failing situation. Johnny Willis, author of Servant Worthy, is a successful pastor with cutting-edge mentorship and teaching skills spanning more than thirty-nine years. He is a graduate with a doctorate in theology from Springs of Life Bible College. His studies and experiences come to life in Surviving the Sifting of God." 96 pages - $9.99 (paperback) http://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-61566-939-4 | |
This book is also available for purchase as an eBook download. Welcome to the world of eBooks where instead of receiving a physical paper book in the mail, you would be given access to the eBook file for this complete book. Within minutes you can be reading this book on your computer, PDA, cellphone or a stand-alone eBook reader (such as the Sony Reader)—at a reduced cost! Click the "Order Online" button below to purchase this eBook download today!
$5.99 (digital download)
Friday, February 19, 2010
A Ferry Tale of Faith and Food Shipping to Martha’s Vineyard
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Katrina Weber
A Ferry Tale of Faith and Food Shipping to Martha’s Vineyard
This amusement park of nature is a retreat for many Americans, but what about the full timers, often the shopkeepers and tradesmen who rely on the economy of tourism to sustain them through the cold? Pam McCormick resettled to Martha’s Vineyard from Michigan, and has lived there for the past few years, and lately has been noticing a change in her community. “During the summer months when the island is packed with tourists and part time residents, we have jobs and resources for the year-rounders, but when the cold months set in, we being to realize the effects of the economy. Few jobs, fewer patrons, and few resources all around keep the price of food fairly high.”
Pam had previously used Angel Food Ministries in Michigan, a non profit, non denominational organization that provides quality food at affordable prices. Operating as a food co-operative, Angel Food uses vast purchasing power to buy from top food companies, and relies on a network of more than 40,000 volunteers who help distribute the food through 6000 host sites across 44 states. Her past experience helped aid the decision to ask if Vineyard Assembly of God could become an Angel Food Host site.
Pam has taken on the responsibility of helping her friends and neighbors eat well while stretching their limited funds. Angel Food Ministries offers a variety of proteins, fruits and vegetables, allergen-free products, pre packaged senior convenience meals, seasonal special options, and their “Signature Box” that could supplement generally a family of four for a week for $30. Pam saw this as her best option.
Although Angel Food delivers once a month to the host sites across the United States via 53 foot tractor trailers, Pamela’s host site is set to be the most unique of any of the rest. Vineyard Assembly of God is the only host site separated from a trucking route by an ocean. So, Pam has committed to making a four hour journey across the water by ferry and back to pick up her orders. That requires perfect timing between the ferry schedule and the truck’s arrival schedule, and it requires her to unload the truck into her personal vehicle and head back to the ferry and over the Sound. Then with here dedicated team of volunteers at Vineyard Assembly of God in tow, they distribute the food to the families that placed a monthly order.
Pam’s compassion and concern for humanity has opened doors for many families that felt shut out. The snow birds might bring in the money for Martha’s Vineyard, but Pam and the dedicated people at Vineyard Assembly of God bring hope.
Orders can be placed and picked up at Vineyard Assembly of God. The address is 1048 State Rd., Vineyard Haven, MA 02568. Please contact Pam McCormick for questions or details about the ordering or distribution process. She can be reached at 508-687-9039 or on the web at www.vineyardag.com.
If anyone wants to learn more about Angel Food Ministries and if they distribute around you, please visit www.angelfoodministries.com or call 1-877-366-3646.
###
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Have you seen the editorial in the New York Times? Hunger is America is growing.
By: Juda Engelmayer
Have you seen this editorial in the New York Times? Hunger in America is growing. 37 million people, about one in eight Americans, knocked on a door of a hunger relief organization – that’s 46 % higher than three years ago. In an article in Thursday’s Times, it talks of the stigma of SNAP (Food Stamps) being lifted, and people who once would not seek them, now rely heavily on the resource.
Why is this important? America needs help. we need an answer for the vexing problems facing our own – and government has yet to offer to the solutions. Yet, for 15 years, Angel Food Ministries has found a way to help people buy wholesome food for far less than they’d pay elsewhere, and it has also pumped needed funds – some $26 million – back into local home-grown organizations in over 6000 communities across 44 states.
It feeds people for less; gives money back and never seeks donations itself – that is the model of a hunger relief organization on the cutting edge, ready to take on the challenges to meet the demands for those 37 million Americans seeking help.
Take a look at Angel Food Ministries; review our February menu; order for yourself or order for someone you know today.
Have you seen this editorial in the New York Times? Hunger in America is growing. 37 million people, about one in eight Americans, knocked on a door of a hunger relief organization – that’s 46 % higher than three years ago. In an article in Thursday’s Times, it talks of the stigma of SNAP (Food Stamps) being lifted, and people who once would not seek them, now rely heavily on the resource.
Why is this important? America needs help. we need an answer for the vexing problems facing our own – and government has yet to offer to the solutions. Yet, for 15 years, Angel Food Ministries has found a way to help people buy wholesome food for far less than they’d pay elsewhere, and it has also pumped needed funds – some $26 million – back into local home-grown organizations in over 6000 communities across 44 states.
It feeds people for less; gives money back and never seeks donations itself – that is the model of a hunger relief organization on the cutting edge, ready to take on the challenges to meet the demands for those 37 million Americans seeking help.
Take a look at Angel Food Ministries; review our February menu; order for yourself or order for someone you know today.
Once Stigmatized, Food Stamps Find Acceptance
By JASON DEPARLE and ROBERT GEBELOFF
A decade ago, New York City officials were so reluctant to give out food stamps, they made people register one day and return the next just to get an application. The welfare commissioner said the program caused dependency and the poor were “better off” without it.
Now the city urges the needy to seek aid (in languages from Albanian to Yiddish). Neighborhood groups recruit clients at churches and grocery stores, with materials that all but proclaim a civic duty to apply — to “help New York farmers, grocers, and businesses.” There is even a program on Rikers Island to enroll inmates leaving the jail.
“Applying for food stamps is easier than ever,” city posters say.
The same is true nationwide. After a U-turn in the politics of poverty, food stamps, a program once scorned as “welfare,” enjoys broad new support. Following deep cuts in the 1990s, Congress reversed course to expand eligibility, cut red tape and burnish the program’s image, with a special effort to enroll the working poor. These changes, combined with soaring unemployment, have pushed enrollment to record highs, with one in eight Americans now getting aid.
“I’ve seen a remarkable shift,” said Senator Richard G. Lugar, an Indiana Republican and prominent food stamp supporter. “People now see that it’s necessary to have a strong food stamp program.”
The revival began a decade ago, after tough welfare laws chased millions of people from the cash rolls, many into low-wage jobs as fast-food workers, maids, and nursing aides. Newly sympathetic officials saw food stamps as a way to help them. For states, the program had another appeal: the benefits are federally paid.
But support also turned on chance developments, including natural disasters (which showed the program’s value in emergencies) and the rise of plastic benefit cards (which eased stigma and fraud). The program has commercial allies, in farmers and grocery stores, and it got an unexpected boost from President George W. Bush, whose food stamp administrator, Eric Bost, proved an ardent supporter.
“I assure you, food stamps is not welfare,” Mr. Bost said in a recent interview.
Still, some critics see it as welfare in disguise and advocate more restraints.
So far their voices have been muted, unlike in the 1990s when members of Congress likened permissive welfare laws to feeding alligators and wolves. But last month, a Republican candidate for governor in South Carolina, Andre Bauer, criticized food stamps by saying his grandmother “told me as a small child to quit feeding stray animals. You know why? Because they breed.”
Mr. Bauer, the lieutenant governor, apologized for his phrasing but said, “somebody has to have the gumption to talk about the cycle of dependency.”
The drive to enroll the needy can be seen in the case of Monica Bostick-Thomas, 45, a Harlem widow who works part-time as a school crossing guard. Since her husband died three years ago, she has scraped by on an annual income of about $15,000.
But she did not seek help until she got a call from the Food Bank of New York City, one of the city’s outreach partners. Last year, she balked, doubting she qualified. This year, when the group called again, she agreed to apply. A big woman with a broad smile, Ms. Bostick-Thomas swept into the group’s office a few days later, talking up her daughters’ college degrees and bemoaning the cost of oxtail meat.
“I’m not saying I go hungry,” Ms. Bostick-Thomas said. “But I can’t always eat what I want.”
The worker projected a benefit of $147 a month. “That’s going to help!” she said. “I wouldn’t have gone and applied on my own.”
Since its founding in 1964, the food stamp program has swung between seasons of bipartisan support and conservative attack. George McGovern, a Democrat, and Bob Dole, a Republican, were prominent Senate backers. But Ronald Reagan told stories about the “strapping young buck” who used food stamps to buy a “T-bone steak.”
By the 1990s, the program was swept up in President Bill Clinton’s pledge to “end welfare.” While he meant cash aid, Congressional Republicans labeled food stamps welfare, too. The 1996 law that restricted cash benefits included major cuts in food stamps benefits and eligibility. Some states went further and pushed eligible people away.
But as attention shifted to poor workers, food stamps won new support. Wisconsin’s former governor, Tommy G. Thompson, a Republican, boasted of cutting the cash rolls, but advertised the food stamp rise. “Leading the Way to Make Work Pay,” a 2000 news release said.
States eased limits on people with cars and required fewer office visits from people with jobs. The federal government now gives bonuses to states that enroll the most eligible people.
A self-reinforcing cycle kicked in: outreach attracted more workers, and workers built support for outreach. In a given month, nearly 90 percent of food stamp recipients still have incomes below the federal poverty line, according to the Department of Agriculture. But among families with children, the share working rose to 47 percent in 2008, from 26 percent in the mid-1990s, and the share getting cash welfare fell by two-thirds.
In 2008, the program got an upbeat new name: the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — SNAP. By contrast, cash welfare remains stigmatized, and the rolls have scarcely budged.
Nowhere have attitudes swung as far as in New York City, where Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and his welfare commissioner, Jason A. Turner, laid siege in the late 1990s to what they called the welfare capital of the world. After bitter fights, a federal judge made the city end delays in handing out food stamp applications. But attitudes remained stern.
“I count food stamps as being part of welfare,” Mr. Turner said at the time. “You’re better off without either one.”
Since Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg took office eight years ago, the rolls have doubled, to 1.6 million people, with most of the increase coming in his second term after critics accused him of neglecting the poor.
He intensified outreach. He reduced paperwork. He hired a new welfare commissioner, Robert Doar, with orders to improve service for the working poor.
“If you’re working, I want to help you, and that’s how the mayor feels,” Mr. Doar said.
Albany made a parallel push to enroll the working poor, setting an explicit goal for caseload growth. “This is all federal money — it drives dollars to local economies,” said Russell Sykes, a senior program official.
But Mr. Turner, now a consultant in Milwaukee, warns that the aid encourages the poor to work less and therefore remain in need. “It’s going to be very difficult with large swaths of the lower middle class tasting the fruits of dependency to be weaned from this,” he said.
The tension between self-reliance and relief can be seen at the food bank’s office in Harlem, where the city lets outreach workers file applications.
Juan Diego Castro, 24, is a college graduate and Americorps volunteer whose immigrant parents warned him “not to be a burden on this country.” He has a monthly stipend of about $2,500 and initially thought food stamps should go to needier people, like the tenants he organizes. “My concern was if I’m taking food stamps and I have a job, is it morally correct?” he said.
But federal law eases eligibility for Americorps members, and a food bank worker urged him and fellow volunteers to apply, arguing that there was enough aid to go around and that use would demonstrate continuing need. “That meeting definitely turned us around,” Mr. Castro said.
While Mr. Castro seemed contemplative, Alba Catano, 44, appeared dejected. A Colombian immigrant, she has spent a dozen years on a night janitorial crew but fell and missed three months of work after knee surgery.
Last November, she limped into a storefront church in Queens, where a food bank worker was taking applications beside the pews.
About her lost wages, she struck a stoic pose, saying her san cocho — Colombian soup — had less meat and more plantains. But her composure cracked when she talked of the effect on her 10-year-old daughter.
“My refrigerator is empty,” Ms. Catano said.
Last month, Ms. Catano was back at work, with a benefit of $170 a month and no qualms about joining 38 million Americans eating with government aid. “I had the feeling that working people were not eligible,” she said. “But then they told me, ‘No, no, the program has improved.’ ”
A decade ago, New York City officials were so reluctant to give out food stamps, they made people register one day and return the next just to get an application. The welfare commissioner said the program caused dependency and the poor were “better off” without it.
Now the city urges the needy to seek aid (in languages from Albanian to Yiddish). Neighborhood groups recruit clients at churches and grocery stores, with materials that all but proclaim a civic duty to apply — to “help New York farmers, grocers, and businesses.” There is even a program on Rikers Island to enroll inmates leaving the jail.
“Applying for food stamps is easier than ever,” city posters say.
The same is true nationwide. After a U-turn in the politics of poverty, food stamps, a program once scorned as “welfare,” enjoys broad new support. Following deep cuts in the 1990s, Congress reversed course to expand eligibility, cut red tape and burnish the program’s image, with a special effort to enroll the working poor. These changes, combined with soaring unemployment, have pushed enrollment to record highs, with one in eight Americans now getting aid.
“I’ve seen a remarkable shift,” said Senator Richard G. Lugar, an Indiana Republican and prominent food stamp supporter. “People now see that it’s necessary to have a strong food stamp program.”
The revival began a decade ago, after tough welfare laws chased millions of people from the cash rolls, many into low-wage jobs as fast-food workers, maids, and nursing aides. Newly sympathetic officials saw food stamps as a way to help them. For states, the program had another appeal: the benefits are federally paid.
But support also turned on chance developments, including natural disasters (which showed the program’s value in emergencies) and the rise of plastic benefit cards (which eased stigma and fraud). The program has commercial allies, in farmers and grocery stores, and it got an unexpected boost from President George W. Bush, whose food stamp administrator, Eric Bost, proved an ardent supporter.
“I assure you, food stamps is not welfare,” Mr. Bost said in a recent interview.
Still, some critics see it as welfare in disguise and advocate more restraints.
So far their voices have been muted, unlike in the 1990s when members of Congress likened permissive welfare laws to feeding alligators and wolves. But last month, a Republican candidate for governor in South Carolina, Andre Bauer, criticized food stamps by saying his grandmother “told me as a small child to quit feeding stray animals. You know why? Because they breed.”
Mr. Bauer, the lieutenant governor, apologized for his phrasing but said, “somebody has to have the gumption to talk about the cycle of dependency.”
The drive to enroll the needy can be seen in the case of Monica Bostick-Thomas, 45, a Harlem widow who works part-time as a school crossing guard. Since her husband died three years ago, she has scraped by on an annual income of about $15,000.
But she did not seek help until she got a call from the Food Bank of New York City, one of the city’s outreach partners. Last year, she balked, doubting she qualified. This year, when the group called again, she agreed to apply. A big woman with a broad smile, Ms. Bostick-Thomas swept into the group’s office a few days later, talking up her daughters’ college degrees and bemoaning the cost of oxtail meat.
“I’m not saying I go hungry,” Ms. Bostick-Thomas said. “But I can’t always eat what I want.”
The worker projected a benefit of $147 a month. “That’s going to help!” she said. “I wouldn’t have gone and applied on my own.”
Since its founding in 1964, the food stamp program has swung between seasons of bipartisan support and conservative attack. George McGovern, a Democrat, and Bob Dole, a Republican, were prominent Senate backers. But Ronald Reagan told stories about the “strapping young buck” who used food stamps to buy a “T-bone steak.”
By the 1990s, the program was swept up in President Bill Clinton’s pledge to “end welfare.” While he meant cash aid, Congressional Republicans labeled food stamps welfare, too. The 1996 law that restricted cash benefits included major cuts in food stamps benefits and eligibility. Some states went further and pushed eligible people away.
But as attention shifted to poor workers, food stamps won new support. Wisconsin’s former governor, Tommy G. Thompson, a Republican, boasted of cutting the cash rolls, but advertised the food stamp rise. “Leading the Way to Make Work Pay,” a 2000 news release said.
States eased limits on people with cars and required fewer office visits from people with jobs. The federal government now gives bonuses to states that enroll the most eligible people.
A self-reinforcing cycle kicked in: outreach attracted more workers, and workers built support for outreach. In a given month, nearly 90 percent of food stamp recipients still have incomes below the federal poverty line, according to the Department of Agriculture. But among families with children, the share working rose to 47 percent in 2008, from 26 percent in the mid-1990s, and the share getting cash welfare fell by two-thirds.
In 2008, the program got an upbeat new name: the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — SNAP. By contrast, cash welfare remains stigmatized, and the rolls have scarcely budged.
Nowhere have attitudes swung as far as in New York City, where Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and his welfare commissioner, Jason A. Turner, laid siege in the late 1990s to what they called the welfare capital of the world. After bitter fights, a federal judge made the city end delays in handing out food stamp applications. But attitudes remained stern.
“I count food stamps as being part of welfare,” Mr. Turner said at the time. “You’re better off without either one.”
Since Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg took office eight years ago, the rolls have doubled, to 1.6 million people, with most of the increase coming in his second term after critics accused him of neglecting the poor.
He intensified outreach. He reduced paperwork. He hired a new welfare commissioner, Robert Doar, with orders to improve service for the working poor.
“If you’re working, I want to help you, and that’s how the mayor feels,” Mr. Doar said.
Albany made a parallel push to enroll the working poor, setting an explicit goal for caseload growth. “This is all federal money — it drives dollars to local economies,” said Russell Sykes, a senior program official.
But Mr. Turner, now a consultant in Milwaukee, warns that the aid encourages the poor to work less and therefore remain in need. “It’s going to be very difficult with large swaths of the lower middle class tasting the fruits of dependency to be weaned from this,” he said.
The tension between self-reliance and relief can be seen at the food bank’s office in Harlem, where the city lets outreach workers file applications.
Juan Diego Castro, 24, is a college graduate and Americorps volunteer whose immigrant parents warned him “not to be a burden on this country.” He has a monthly stipend of about $2,500 and initially thought food stamps should go to needier people, like the tenants he organizes. “My concern was if I’m taking food stamps and I have a job, is it morally correct?” he said.
But federal law eases eligibility for Americorps members, and a food bank worker urged him and fellow volunteers to apply, arguing that there was enough aid to go around and that use would demonstrate continuing need. “That meeting definitely turned us around,” Mr. Castro said.
While Mr. Castro seemed contemplative, Alba Catano, 44, appeared dejected. A Colombian immigrant, she has spent a dozen years on a night janitorial crew but fell and missed three months of work after knee surgery.
Last November, she limped into a storefront church in Queens, where a food bank worker was taking applications beside the pews.
About her lost wages, she struck a stoic pose, saying her san cocho — Colombian soup — had less meat and more plantains. But her composure cracked when she talked of the effect on her 10-year-old daughter.
“My refrigerator is empty,” Ms. Catano said.
Last month, Ms. Catano was back at work, with a benefit of $170 a month and no qualms about joining 38 million Americans eating with government aid. “I had the feeling that working people were not eligible,” she said. “But then they told me, ‘No, no, the program has improved.’ ”
Hungry in America
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/opinion/10wed4.html?src=tptw
February 10, 2010
Editorial
Hungry in America
More Americans are going hungry in hard times and are increasingly dependent on private charity, according to a new study by Feeding America, a national network of food banks. The study found that 37 million people — roughly one in eight Americans — had sought emergency food assistance from the network last year, a 46 percent increase from 2006.
As the recession and high unemployment take their toll, there are hungry families all across the country: in cities and suburbs, poor, middle class and even supposedly wealthy communities.
At a recent news conference on Long Island — seen as a place of suburban affluence — local charities shared stories of families struggling to stay afloat and being forced to choose among food, housing payments and utility bills. In many cases, it seems food was skimped on because hunger was easier to ignore than threatening letters from unpaid landlords or the gas company.
In the Long Island portion of the Feeding America study, researchers surveyed more than 600 food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters and interviewed people who had sought food at those places. The study concluded that about 280,000 Long Islanders needed help last year, a 21 percent increase from 2006. Only a small percentage of these clients were homeless or elderly. Thirty-nine percent were children under 18.
The study found that volunteers are central to the success of emergency feeding programs. On Long Island, 88 percent of food pantries and 92 percent of soup kitchens rely on volunteers. But the news conference revealed that many of the volunteers who collected and served food have become newly hungry and jobless.
It is reassuring that so many Americans are eager to help their neighbors. But it is also clear that the government safety net is failing. The Feeding America study found that about 30 percent of those seeking help from their facilities also received food stamps. This bolsters what advocates for the poor have said for years, that the food stamp program isn’t reaching everyone who is eligible. That must be fixed.
February 10, 2010
Editorial
Hungry in America
More Americans are going hungry in hard times and are increasingly dependent on private charity, according to a new study by Feeding America, a national network of food banks. The study found that 37 million people — roughly one in eight Americans — had sought emergency food assistance from the network last year, a 46 percent increase from 2006.
As the recession and high unemployment take their toll, there are hungry families all across the country: in cities and suburbs, poor, middle class and even supposedly wealthy communities.
At a recent news conference on Long Island — seen as a place of suburban affluence — local charities shared stories of families struggling to stay afloat and being forced to choose among food, housing payments and utility bills. In many cases, it seems food was skimped on because hunger was easier to ignore than threatening letters from unpaid landlords or the gas company.
In the Long Island portion of the Feeding America study, researchers surveyed more than 600 food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters and interviewed people who had sought food at those places. The study concluded that about 280,000 Long Islanders needed help last year, a 21 percent increase from 2006. Only a small percentage of these clients were homeless or elderly. Thirty-nine percent were children under 18.
The study found that volunteers are central to the success of emergency feeding programs. On Long Island, 88 percent of food pantries and 92 percent of soup kitchens rely on volunteers. But the news conference revealed that many of the volunteers who collected and served food have become newly hungry and jobless.
It is reassuring that so many Americans are eager to help their neighbors. But it is also clear that the government safety net is failing. The Feeding America study found that about 30 percent of those seeking help from their facilities also received food stamps. This bolsters what advocates for the poor have said for years, that the food stamp program isn’t reaching everyone who is eligible. That must be fixed.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Angel Food Ministries Extends the Order Deadline!!
Angel Food Ministries has made a hard decision and we thank our loyal hosts sites for directing us on this matter. Since we sent out the order reminder earlier this week, we have received quite a bit of feedback stemming from the order date. We understand that we may have miscalculated the need for extending the ordering period into the week of the 17th, and we are now doing just that.
As per the requests of literally thousands of our host churches and organizations, the staff and leadership here at Angel Food Ministries has made a decision that we pray will help our host sites and those who seek our service and support.
The ordering deadline for January will be extended until Monday, January 18th at 5:00PM EST.
what we are doing is changing the cutoff dates in AngelNet and on line for you. If a Host Site has already closed out their orders, we urge you to go back in and check for any additional orders that may arrive online. If you feel you are ready to close your site's orders, you can do that on your Angelnet side, but the online portion will remain open until the deadline. Please go back in and print the orders again.
This is not an easy decision, and we know that many of you may find this to be an issue. We apologize in advance, but beg for your understanding. We have too many host sites who have made this request of us, and we are listening.
Please note - Host Sites are the only ones being alerted at this point. we have not planned an email to our client base at this point. We believe that the advanced notice will help you prepare.
Remember the special this month - we have brought the Seafood Box back by popular demand; Better still, if you claim a Seafood Box and our Special #4 7lb Premium Meat Box and enter the Coupon Code SURFNTURF, you will get $2 off the price of the order.
As per the requests of literally thousands of our host churches and organizations, the staff and leadership here at Angel Food Ministries has made a decision that we pray will help our host sites and those who seek our service and support.
The ordering deadline for January will be extended until Monday, January 18th at 5:00PM EST.
what we are doing is changing the cutoff dates in AngelNet and on line for you. If a Host Site has already closed out their orders, we urge you to go back in and check for any additional orders that may arrive online. If you feel you are ready to close your site's orders, you can do that on your Angelnet side, but the online portion will remain open until the deadline. Please go back in and print the orders again.
This is not an easy decision, and we know that many of you may find this to be an issue. We apologize in advance, but beg for your understanding. We have too many host sites who have made this request of us, and we are listening.
Please note - Host Sites are the only ones being alerted at this point. we have not planned an email to our client base at this point. We believe that the advanced notice will help you prepare.
Remember the special this month - we have brought the Seafood Box back by popular demand; Better still, if you claim a Seafood Box and our Special #4 7lb Premium Meat Box and enter the Coupon Code SURFNTURF, you will get $2 off the price of the order.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
National food program helps local families
The Reporter Online (thereporteronline.com), Serving North Penn, PA
National food program helps local families
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
By LISA ROMERO
Imagine being able to buy $60 to $70 worth of groceries — choice meats, fresh fruits and crisp veggies, not expired or junk foods — for $30 or less.
Sound too good to be true? A little slice of heaven in a tough economy?
Then perhaps you haven't yet heard of Angel Food Ministries, a largely faith-based, volunteer operation that believes good food and spiritual sustenance should never be in short supply.
Founded in 1994 by Pastors Joe and Linda Wingo of Monroe, Ga., to assist a handful of families there, the nondenominational program now feeds more than 500,000 families a month in nearly 45 states — and interest is definitely on the rise not only locally but nationwide as well, said Juda Engelmayer, Angel Food's director of communications and customer service.
"There's a strong need for what we're offering," he explained.
And that, in a nutshell, is high-quality, low-cost food carefully packaged for two types of consumers: financially strapped people who, without the program, would be forced to choose between food and other life expenses (such as medicine or housing), and time-crunched families who want prepackaged meal ingredients at a price that stretches their budgets even further.
Angel Food Ministries operates simply:
"If you eat, you qualify," said Engelmayer. There are no applications or minimum-income requirements.
You can order food through a local church or social-services group, or even online. (See "FYI" box for more information.) You can also pay for your food with a credit card or Electronic Benefits Transfer card (i.e., food stamps).
Each month, a different menu of foods is offered and shipped from Angel Food distribution sites in Atlanta or Fort Worth to this area. Customers can also buy specialty boxes of additional meats and healthy treats.
You can purchase as many boxes (called "units") of food as you want. Typically, one $30 medium-sized box feeds a family of four for a week, and a senior citizen for up to a month.
Even special dietary needs can be accommodated, such as allergen-free foods that contain no peanuts, soybeans, gluten, etc.
How can they offer food at half the price? Engelmayer says they buy in bulk — and rely on the social consciousness of many vendors, as well as the support of volunteers, to make the program possible.
Angel Food is nothing less than a godsend to many families in the community, say local coordinators.
"It's not a handout — but it can really help people when they need it most, such as when they lose a job or work has dried up, or their life situation has drastically changed in some way," said Debbie DiGirolamo, who helps lead the year-old Angel Food program based at the Living Hope Community Church in Dublin, which provides meals to about 25 families a month.
"Some people are not comfortable with the idea of a soup pantry," DiGirolamo added, noting her church operates just such a program, too. "But when you help them purchase good food at a discounted rate, they'll participate, even for a month or so — and that gets them through."
Gail Rowen, co-coordinator of the program at Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church in Montgomeryville, which serves as many as 50 families monthly, agreed.
"Angel Food is a way to help people take their dollars and spread them further so they can eat healthy foods, get their medicines and pay their bills," she said. "They shouldn't have to choose between them."
The benefits aren't limited to quality and affordability. This food comes with a side of spiritual support, as well.
Every Angel Food box includes a copy of The Servant magazine, prepared by the Wingos to inspire and spiritually guide people through their troubled times.
Although their mission is Christian-based, the magazine — and indeed, the entire program — is intended for everyone in need, regardless of faith or background, Engelmayer said.
"Our host sites include Jewish temples and community centers," he added. "While we're building faith through food, it's more about counseling and ministering to our communities through the organizations that understand them best: the religious and social-service groups."
Not everyone who participates is a churchgoer, or even necessarily looking for spiritual guidance. And that's OK, local volunteers say.
"Sometimes, it's just good for people to know someone cares about them," DiGirolamo explained. "When we can, we'll point them to resources in the community that can help improve their lives."
Added Rowen, "Our goal is to be here for people in need — whatever their need is."
URL: http://www.thereporteronline.com/articles/2010/01/06/life/srv0000007211835.prt
© 2010 thereporteronline.com, a Journal Register Property
National food program helps local families
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
By LISA ROMERO
Imagine being able to buy $60 to $70 worth of groceries — choice meats, fresh fruits and crisp veggies, not expired or junk foods — for $30 or less.
Sound too good to be true? A little slice of heaven in a tough economy?
Then perhaps you haven't yet heard of Angel Food Ministries, a largely faith-based, volunteer operation that believes good food and spiritual sustenance should never be in short supply.
Founded in 1994 by Pastors Joe and Linda Wingo of Monroe, Ga., to assist a handful of families there, the nondenominational program now feeds more than 500,000 families a month in nearly 45 states — and interest is definitely on the rise not only locally but nationwide as well, said Juda Engelmayer, Angel Food's director of communications and customer service.
"There's a strong need for what we're offering," he explained.
And that, in a nutshell, is high-quality, low-cost food carefully packaged for two types of consumers: financially strapped people who, without the program, would be forced to choose between food and other life expenses (such as medicine or housing), and time-crunched families who want prepackaged meal ingredients at a price that stretches their budgets even further.
Angel Food Ministries operates simply:
"If you eat, you qualify," said Engelmayer. There are no applications or minimum-income requirements.
You can order food through a local church or social-services group, or even online. (See "FYI" box for more information.) You can also pay for your food with a credit card or Electronic Benefits Transfer card (i.e., food stamps).
Each month, a different menu of foods is offered and shipped from Angel Food distribution sites in Atlanta or Fort Worth to this area. Customers can also buy specialty boxes of additional meats and healthy treats.
You can purchase as many boxes (called "units") of food as you want. Typically, one $30 medium-sized box feeds a family of four for a week, and a senior citizen for up to a month.
Even special dietary needs can be accommodated, such as allergen-free foods that contain no peanuts, soybeans, gluten, etc.
How can they offer food at half the price? Engelmayer says they buy in bulk — and rely on the social consciousness of many vendors, as well as the support of volunteers, to make the program possible.
Angel Food is nothing less than a godsend to many families in the community, say local coordinators.
"It's not a handout — but it can really help people when they need it most, such as when they lose a job or work has dried up, or their life situation has drastically changed in some way," said Debbie DiGirolamo, who helps lead the year-old Angel Food program based at the Living Hope Community Church in Dublin, which provides meals to about 25 families a month.
"Some people are not comfortable with the idea of a soup pantry," DiGirolamo added, noting her church operates just such a program, too. "But when you help them purchase good food at a discounted rate, they'll participate, even for a month or so — and that gets them through."
Gail Rowen, co-coordinator of the program at Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church in Montgomeryville, which serves as many as 50 families monthly, agreed.
"Angel Food is a way to help people take their dollars and spread them further so they can eat healthy foods, get their medicines and pay their bills," she said. "They shouldn't have to choose between them."
The benefits aren't limited to quality and affordability. This food comes with a side of spiritual support, as well.
Every Angel Food box includes a copy of The Servant magazine, prepared by the Wingos to inspire and spiritually guide people through their troubled times.
Although their mission is Christian-based, the magazine — and indeed, the entire program — is intended for everyone in need, regardless of faith or background, Engelmayer said.
"Our host sites include Jewish temples and community centers," he added. "While we're building faith through food, it's more about counseling and ministering to our communities through the organizations that understand them best: the religious and social-service groups."
Not everyone who participates is a churchgoer, or even necessarily looking for spiritual guidance. And that's OK, local volunteers say.
"Sometimes, it's just good for people to know someone cares about them," DiGirolamo explained. "When we can, we'll point them to resources in the community that can help improve their lives."
Added Rowen, "Our goal is to be here for people in need — whatever their need is."
URL: http://www.thereporteronline.com/articles/2010/01/06/life/srv0000007211835.prt
© 2010 thereporteronline.com, a Journal Register Property
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Let's get ready for some football
It’s that time of year again, football season is officially here. But due to the economic challenges, some of you guys are thinking no parties or tailgating this season. After searching around I have found a promotion that is football party worthy at a bottom line price; The Surf and Turf from Angel Food Ministries.
Instead of buying the same giant subs as last year, how about moving on to bigger things, for a better price. Spoil yourself and the guys with a juicy T-bone and jumbo shrimp. For the month of January, Angel Food Ministries is promoting a 6lb Seafood Pack (includes 2lbs of Jumbo Breaded Shrimp, 1lb Crab Stuffed Flounder, 2lbs of Tilapia and over 1lb of Crab Cakes) and a 7lb Premium Meat box, (includes 4×12oz T-Bone Steaks, 4×8oz Boneless Pork Chops, 2×8oz Italian Flavored Chicken Breast and 2×8oz Honey Mustard Chicken Breast) all for a low price of $67.00.
To find more information or to order online visit their website at, www.angelfoodministries.com . For a limited time they are also giving an extra $2.00 off coupon code (SURFNTURF) for The Surf and Turf when you purchase both specials online.
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