Feeding the spirit
Published: December 3, 2007
Blessings come by the box at several churches in the Wichita Falls region through a program called Angel Food Ministries. Boxes chock full of nutritious food like steak, chicken tenders, fresh fruit, vegetables, waffles, hot dogs and biscuits, can feed a family of four for about one month. And the groceries that would retail for more than $70 are sold for $25.
What started out in 1994 in Monroe, Ga., as a ministry to provide grocery relief and financial support to low-income families across the country has grown into a bargain shopping experience for all kinds of people at all kinds of income levels.
Susan Hamman, a member of Park Place Christian Church, has purchased several boxes of food from her church’s Angel Food Ministries program and shared their contents with others.
“We’ve shared the food with people we know who are struggling, like some Midwestern State University students and older folks who are on fixed incomes,” Hamman said. “I was amazed at the amount of food in each box. They get good nutritious food and lots of it.”
Each month, orders are taken at individual church sites, such as Park Place Christian on Call Field Road, and turned into Angel Food Ministries’ main office in Georgia. Refrigerated trucks bring the food to Evangel Temple, which serves as the “host site” in this region. Volunteers from Park Place Christian then pick up the food and bring it back to their church where it is distributed.
“We may have 50 volunteers show up to help,” Alice Hupp, pastor of Park Place Christian, said.
“We pride ourselves in that there is no waiting in line for the boxes when people come to pick them up,” Hupp said. “We’re also the only church that accepts food stamps.”
At Evangel Temple, volunteers have been working the monthly distribution day assembly line since 2004.
“We have different teams who unload the food, count boxes, set up about 60 feet of tables, set boxes on pallets, check in customers, take receipts and load up the food in the cars,” Scott Pugh, director of outreach ministries at Evangel Temple, said. “You’ll see 8-year-olds, senior citizens and entire families pitching in.”
Pugh is grateful to several local companies who also pitch in to make the distribution day a seamless event. Asco donates the forklift and Bates Construction laid a concrete ramp at the church.
Park Place Christian has only been a part of Angel Food Ministries since May, but it has been a transforming experience for the church.
“We couldn’t wait to be a part of this,” Hupp said. “Our entire church has embraced the ministry.”
Each month’s menu is different than the previous month and consists of both fresh and frozen items. The food is all the same high quality that could be purchased at a grocery store — there are no out-dated, damaged or second-hand goods.
The menu for December includes the following: four 5-ounce rib-eye steaks; a 2-pound package family lasagna dinner; 2-pound package of split chicken breast; 1 pound of honey roasted pork sausage; 1-pound package fully cooked chicken breast fajitas; 1-pound package of all-meat jumbo hot dogs; 1 pound of fresh apples; 8-ounce package biscuit mix; 1-pound can of three-way vegetable mix; 1-pound can of cut corn; 1-pound can sliced carrots; 14-ounce can chicken broth; 24-ounce package homestyle hash browns; 6.5-ounce package cheeseburger dinner; 10-count home-style waffles; and one dessert item.
During the holidays, specialty boxes filled with fruit, meats, cheeses or gourmet coffees are offered for $14-$24 with the purchase of a $25 box of food.
“Jesus said ‘feed my sheep’ and this is one way we can help people,” Hupp said.
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