Church finds better food to feed those in need
Published: January 17, 2008
For years, Joseph and Linda DeAngelo of Good News Christian Center have fed the poor through their Service Heart Ministry.
But the food was mainly boxed pasta and canned beans — not necessarily the most nutritious. There was no fresh meat or produce. Delivery was limited to poorer families.
The DeAngelos, who run the nondenominational church at 46 John St., heard about Angel Food Ministries in Monroe, Ga., and went to see if there were better choices for their parishioners.
What they learned is that for $30, the general public, not just the poor, can buy a box containing four ribeye steaks, a two-pound lasagna dinner, a pound of roasted pork sausage, one pound of cooked meatballs, three pounds of fresh apples, mixed vegetables, waffles and more.
The DeAngelos liked what they saw.
Angel Food Ministries began with 34 families in Georgia in 1994, and now serves families across the country. There are no income restrictions and food stamps are welcome.
The food comes from name brands such as Tyson, Ore-Ida, Kraft, Ronzoni, Hormel and Hunt’s. The program is one of several given millions of dollars through President Bush’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. Angel Food Ministries donates $1 from each box sold to the host church’s benevolent fund. Since its inception, Angel Food Ministries has contributed more than $12 million.
The Good News Christian Center was made the first host site in the state and started its first outreach in October, slowly building a customer base and adding nine churches to the network. Last month, the church moved 779 boxes of food through nine churches.
“Our goal is to really get everyone with good food,” said Onalee Hales, the Angel Food Ministries administrator. “We could only give out food that’s not the healthy meals for our children. This year’s menu will incorporate healthier food to everyone out there. This is an outreach to supplement everyone. Not just low income.”
Hales’ goal is to broaden the program to include more host churches throughout other parts of the state.
Host site director Mitch Gauthier runs the logistics of the operation. At 5:30 a.m. once a month, Gauthier and a band of 50 volunteers unload the freezer trucks in anticipation of the mass pickup from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.
Kathy Queen, the executive director of the Wallingford Community Daycare Center, is active on the town’s anti-poverty food and housing programs. Last month, she introduced the program to many of the single mothers and poorer families that might be reluctant to visit the food pantry. Her staff even participated.
“We decided let’s try it,” Queen said. “We had 15 families that signed up. I think it was quite successful. It was good food and it works out.”
Queen said one of the greatest benefits is that it’s not a handout to the working families that just may need a helping hand. She heard employees say that if they bought the merchandise at Shaw’s Supermarket it would have cost over $60. Many of these families stay hidden because they don’t like going to free pantries. She heard two minor complaints that the ribeyes weren’t four inches thick, but overall, the customers seemed pleased.
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