When Food Comes From Angels

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Last week I talked about food - specifically the crappy job we do in getting food to the people who need it - the hoops we make people jump through when they are already at a low point in their life. I also mentioned my hope that Angel Food Ministries - a non-profit, non-denominational organization dedicated to providing food relief and financial support to communities throughout the United States - might fill that food gap for people like me.

I picked up my first Signature Box on Saturday. The Signature Box contains fresh and frozen foods valued at $60, for only $30 per box. Angel Food Ministries uses their national buying power, and minimal overhead expenses, to fill the food gap.

This was the contents of my Signature Box ...

Now, just in case you can't see everything, let me give you a full list of what I was able to purchase for $30:

2 lb. Top Sirloin Steaks (4 x 8 oz.)

1.5 lb. Boneless Pork Roast

2 lb. Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breast

2 lb. Lasagna with Meat Sauce

1.5 lb. Fully Cooked Boneless Chicken Drumsticks

1 lb. Lean Ground Beef

1 lb. Frozen Baby Limas

1 lb. Frozen Green Beans

1 lb. Frozen Broccoli

1 lb. Pasta

1 lb. White Rice

25 oz. Pasta Sauce

3 lbs. Potatoes

1 lb. Carrots

32 oz. 2% Shelf Stable Milk

Dozen Eggs

1 Pumpkin Pie

Not only was the food high quality (there really were no second-hand items, no damaged or out-dated goods, no dented cans without labels, no day-old breads and no produce that was almost too ripe) but I was treated with the utmost dignity and respect.

I walked into a "casual" part of the church (looked like a small gymnasium) where I was greeted by an "appropriately" friendly woman. She had me initial my order and got me started on the pick-up process. A trip around a series of tables with a laundry basket and I moved over to the packaging area where two more people loaded my groceries into two eco-friendly reusable bags, and I was on my way.

Everyone I came in contact with treated me as if I were their neighbor. There were no high-pressure God sales. In fact, the only "religious" component of the program was the pick-up at a church and the flier left in the bottom of one of the bags.

This program is EXACTLY what I needed and the kind of program I feel really meets the needs of many in our country. It allowed me the dignity to purchase (they also accept SNAP - food stamps - to purchase items) good quality, healthy food for my family at a reasonable cost. There are no qualifications, minimums, income restrictions, or applications. There are no embarrassing "client interviews." This program allows you to walk in with your head held high, and walk out in the same manner.

Life sometimes brings us unexpected circumstances, and during those times it's not a hand out we need, but a reasonable help up. Angel Food Ministries has managed to find that balance.

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