Low-cost grocery distribution offers help, hope to local families
Published: August 11, 2006
With five kids to feed, Kimberly McCullough was having trouble making ends meet.
“I was running out before the end of the month,” said McCullough, a former communications specialist who is now unemployed.
Then she discovered Angel Food distribution at Harvest Church in Murfreesboro. And her plate has been full ever since.
Angel Food Ministries is a nonprofit, nondenominational organization that provides grocery relief each month to families across the United States. Distribution is handled through church host sites that take care of ordering and sorting food when it arrives each month.
Harvest Church Pastors Manuel and Joeline McGregor found out about Angel Food and knew they wanted to make it one of their church’s outreach ministries.
“We learned about Angel Food from a pastor in Texas. We liked what we saw,” Joeline said.
“We needed to make a difference in the community,” Manuel added.
And they have. When Harvest Church began acting as a host site nearly two years ago, it started with only 10 orders. Last month the McGregors and their church members helped feed more than 180 families through Angel Food Ministries.
“Orders we take at the middle of the month and delivery is always at the end of the month,” Joeline noted.
Joeline and another church member, Peggy Pinkston, coordinate orders. When food arrives on distribution day, members help unload the trucks of food.
For a mere $25 — a typical price for two adults to eat out at a nice restaurant — each basic unit of food includes several meat choices, casseroles, vegetables, fruit and even a dessert.
“I found out about Angel Food from a friend at work. … I was kind of shocked, because the amount of food you get is phenomenal,” said McCullough, who orders four or five units each month for her family.
The same amount of food in each unit sold at a retail price can cost anywhere from $50 to $80, according to information on the Angel Food Ministries Web site: www.angelfoodministries.com.
Subsequent special orders feature smaller quantities of specialty meats. Menus change every month and a minimum requirement of one unit is required — units cannot be split — but there is no limit on how many units you can buy.
A lot of people have asked, “What’s the catch?”
“There is no catch,” Manuel and Joeline chimed in together.
There are no second-hand items, no damaged or out-of-date goods, no dented cans without labels, no day-old breads and no produce that is almost too ripe.
“It’s top-quality food,” Manuel said.
McCullough said her family has been pleased with the food.
“I order it mainly for the meat. … The kids love it. Of course I have a lot of chicken eaters in the house and the quality of the chicken is like, wow,” McCullough said.
Although U.S. Food Stamps are accepted, families do not have to qualify in order to purchase Angel Food. But those orders must be placed in person at the church.
“When they sign up with Food Stamps, that has to be signed in person. So they have to come to the church and sign,” Joeline explained.
All other orders can be placed via postal mail, e-mail or telephone by the deadline; this month, the order date is Monday. The McGregors’ e-mail is weareunited@comcast.net; church phone is 217-6455.
Checks or money orders should be made out to Harvest Church of Murfreesboro and can be sent to 342 Walla Court, Murfreesboro, TN 37128. Orders must be picked up on the day of distribution because the church does not have a storage facility to hold the frozen and refrigerated foods.
And anyone is welcome to purchase the food, regardless of economic status or need.
“Angel Food is for everyone,” Manuel insisted.
For McCullough, Angel Food has “truly been a blessing.” She also encourages “anyone young and old” to take advantage of it. In fact, she’s bought units for elderly family members before.
“It’s feeding people all across America,” McCullough said. “Since I’ve been using Angel Food, I don’t come up short every month.”
McCullough has been so moved by the mission of Angel Food, she joined Harvest Church of Murfreesboro as a member.
The McGregors, former missionaries, said Harvest Church of Murfreesboro is currently the only Christian ministry acting as a host site for Angel Food. But they encourage and welcome other churches to act as host sites.
Although their church does support ministries overseas, especially in their home country of South Africa, they both wanted to help out folks on the local front.
“You have to take care of your own,” Manuel said.
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