Ministry helps families stretch food dollar
Published: March 31, 2008
Angel Food Ministries has made a difference for Deanna Woodworth and her disabled husband.
Woodworth, 59, said she pays Timothy Baptist Church $30 for a big box of food worth much more. She was one of 87 people who recently purchased food boxes. The food is available once monthly.
“This gives us more variety of food,” she said. “We have kids and grandkids and we cook for them. I can go and buy what we need to go with what comes in the box.”
Licensed by the Department of Human Services to run a small home daycare, Woodworth said she doesn’t earn a large amount of money.
“My husband is on disability and has to use oxygen,” she said. “One of our babies, her mother goes to Timothy Baptist and told us about the Angel Food Ministry.”
Woodworth appreciates that the ministry saves her some trips to the store. After she pays the church, they give her a ticket to pick up her box of food.
“The folks at the church make it real easy,” she said. “You just drive around there (with your ticket) and they come out and put the box in your vehicle.”
Patsy Matson, who runs the program at Timothy Baptist, said Angel Food Ministries started in 1994 in Georgia.
“It’s now in more than 3,200 communities in 35 states, helping 500,000 families a month,” she said. “It’s not free, it costs $30 to buy that box of food, lot of brand name products some not, more money for other things can buy canned goods.”
Matson said Timothy Baptist Church has participated in the program since July 2007, as have two other churches; New Hope Assembly of God and Macedonia Baptist Church. The program fits in with the philosophy at Timothy Baptist.
“For one thing, we have a large benevolence,” she said. “People were often asking us for help with their groceries. Now when people come in, we don’t have to find time to arrange for someone to help them. We utilize the Angel Food Ministries to help with benevolence.”
Matson said the food is shipped in bulk. She and her husband Billy get up at 5 a.m. on the 29th of each month and drive to Tahlequah to pick up the church’s portion.
At the church, members set up a homemade assembly line to pack each food box.
“Our church is real mission minded,” Matson said. “Everyone thinks you have to go off thousands of miles for a mission. But, Kelly (Payne, minister) tell us about the missions in our own back yard.”
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