Manna From Heaven?

@Ldyjarhead (10233)
United States
March 31, 2008 12:28pm CST
No, not manna in the biblical sense ... I'm talking about Angel Food Ministries. Do you have one nearby? Do you take advantage of it every month? Just once in a while? Is it worth it? Have no idea what I'm talking about? I've heard of it often in the last several years but never had a distribution point close by, but I searched yesterday and realized that there is one within 15-20 miles of where I'm living now. It looks like a good deal for the $30 you pay, but since I now also have an Aldi's in town, I'm wondering if it will be worth the effort to: Go to town for a certified check Mail check to church Drive 15-20 mi to church on distribution day Please share your experiences!
6 people like this
14 responses
• United States
31 Mar 08
I have heard of them but I don't have any even remotely close to where I am. Wow- you certainly get a good deal. I guess if you could get the check when you are in town doing other errands...how far is "town"? I have a bank three miles away I could get one from even though it isn't my bank. 20 miles is maybe one gallon of gas, so that isn't too bad. Is the church in an area you could do other errands on pick up day?
1 person likes this
@Ldyjarhead (10233)
• United States
31 Mar 08
No, the town where the church is located is actually in the other direction from where we normally go. I do run errands at least every other week in town, so I guess as long as I remember to get the check then it wouldn't be any added effort there. Tom and I don't get out much but on occasion we like to just go for ride so I can see more of this country that he grew up in (remember, I just got here to Ohio in Aug). We don't do it often due to gas prices, but I guess we could make our 'go for a ride' day be the pickup day.
1 person likes this
@icyorchid (2564)
• United States
31 Mar 08
I do not have one near me and I wish I did. I would take advantage of it when hubby has low paychecks and we are short on food. The only one is several miles away and with gas it wouldn't do us good to go for $30 in food. We'd pay more in gas. We do however have a food bank near us and I do go there everytime we need. They give cans, meat, drink, all necessities. My friend told me and actually took me there when we needed food and no money. All bills paid, but no money left. lol That was 6 months ago and I am very grateful to my friend for doing that for me
@Ldyjarhead (10233)
• United States
31 Mar 08
I'm glad you have the food bank available. We don't need that, and the Angel Food Ministry is for everyone, you don't have to be low income, etc. It is more like a co-op. I'm going to put my order in for April, I think.
@icyorchid (2564)
• United States
31 Mar 08
Like I said I would love it if one was near us, but it is a long drive and it would cost us more in gas to get there to get $30 in food, so it isn't worth it to us. Thanks
@Ldyjarhead (10233)
• United States
31 Mar 08
Oh, I understand that completely! I think I'll combine it with a nice drive in the country next month.
@winterose (39887)
• Canada
2 Apr 08
so sorry for answering so late, as I am 466 emails behind right now, but I do not know about this place and I don't think we have one, but I don't really understand what it is all about anyway.
@Ldyjarhead (10233)
• United States
2 Apr 08
It's basically like a co-op of sorts. They publish online the list of foods for the month and if you want to get it, you mail them $30 and then go pick up your food on a specified date. They include meats, vegetables, pasta, and even a dessert. It's supposed to be between $45-75 worth of food at the regular store. Go have a look at www.AngelFoodMinistries.com
1 person likes this
@winterose (39887)
• Canada
3 Apr 08
it is only in 35 us states I just looked, I am in canada there are none here.
@emeraldisle (13139)
• United States
31 Mar 08
We don't have Angel Ministries but we do have SHARE which is very similar. We have done them occasionally but the last time the food we got for the price really wasn't worth it. We would be able to buy it on our own for that if not better. We don't have an Aldi's, not sure what company that is, but we do have things like Sav-A-Lot and Dollar General Market along with Super Wal-Marts; between all of them I can get some great deals.
@emeraldisle (13139)
• United States
31 Mar 08
The SHARE here semi-publishes one. It states you'll get approximately this or that, but not necessarily because in the fine print it also states things may be substituted. The one we got didn't seem worth it and the one's listed for the next seemed really pitiful so we didn't bother again. At one time they were much better and we did them a lot but that was over 10 years ago.
@Ldyjarhead (10233)
• United States
31 Mar 08
I'm not sure how your program works, but Angel Ministries publishes a 'menu' well ahead of time so you can decide if you want to order it or not. That's a real benefit, because I know there will be times they'll have things that I probably just wouldn't find worth it.
1 person likes this
@sherrir101 (3670)
• Malinta, Ohio
4 Apr 08
Yes, Angel Food Ministries is still worth it if you have an Aldi's nearby. I do the program every month. I also do the Special meats also. I love the quality of the meats served in this program. For anyone else that is interested here is the link: http://www.angelfoodministries.com/ Have a great day
• Malinta, Ohio
5 Apr 08
Because of the price, I do not even buy hamburger anymore. I buy the frozen ground turkey at Aldi's. It is still under a dollar a pound. I use it in everything.
• Australia
1 Apr 08
I've never tried it but I have heard of it. One of the current affairs programs here in Australia featured a story on it a few weeks ago. Admittedly I would be curious to try it if I can find one nearby since I'm really struggling financially. Like you, I like Aldi's there are a couple near my area and some of their groceries are extra cheap. Thankfully, I received some good news today... the Australian reserve bank board met today and decided to hold official interest rates at the current level for this month... the first month they haven't increased for the last 12 months, adding about $200 per month to the interest on my mortgage.. now I just hope they start reducing the rates to bring some relief.
@Ldyjarhead (10233)
• United States
1 Apr 08
Oh wow, that's horrible about the interest. The system there must be different than we have here. Our mortgage interest will only go up if you elected to buy with an adjustable rate, and even with that, they can only go up a certain amount at a time. Yes, I'm going to try the Angel Food Ministry for April and then watch the menu each month and decide from there. It's good that there is no obligation or anything.
• Australia
1 Apr 08
Oh, it works the same here...and the most they can increase it is 1% per month. And unfortunately I'm on a variable rate... all of the increases combined have added the $200 per month to my mortgage interest... the actual payments have only increased about $15 per month. Problem is, with the falling US$ our economy is growing strongly... and the reserve bank is trying to slow it down so it doesn't collapse and plunge us into a recession.
@chertsy (3798)
• United States
1 Apr 08
I have heard of the Angel Food Ministries through a neighbor and here on Mylot. I have a few churches that does this, I have looked at April's menu and lot of the food, I know we won't eat, so it would be a waste of money. Look at the menu for April, and if you know you will use everything on the list, go for it. $ 30.00 isn't a bad price for all of that meat. I go to Aldi's for milk, eggs, some veggies, and meats, and stuff. With milk being around 3.49 at store brand price, Aldi helps out a lot at 2.99. I can't wait for the GFS Marketplace to open up, my husband says it's a bulk store that anyone can shop there, so that will save us even more money on meats and veggies.
@Ldyjarhead (10233)
• United States
2 Apr 08
I've already seen the menu and yes, I think I'd be able to use most, if not all.
1 person likes this
@Bev1986 (1425)
• United States
3 Apr 08
Yep, I sure do know who they are! I'm the Director for the distribution in our church. We are a very rural area, and at one point we had over 250 orders in a month for boxes of food! It is an extremely good deal. You get 17-18 items every single month, most of them are meat and the rest is boxed items, and you always get a dessert :) If you price all the items individually at the store, it would cost at least double that amount. In the past they tended to have too much breaded chicken, but after people started complaining, they don't have as much now. Definitely check it out to see if it's in your area!
@Ldyjarhead (10233)
• United States
3 Apr 08
I mailed my payment in yesterday and am excited to get my first order in a couple of weeks!
@jenlynw (41)
• United States
1 Apr 08
We have one here in my town in Indiana, we have done it twice, it's a really good deal, you get alot for your money and they accept food stamps as well... I don't take advantage of it as often as I should because by the time I remember it, I have already missed the signup date! grrrr! You should definately try Angel Food Ministries at least once. God Bless!
@Ldyjarhead (10233)
• United States
1 Apr 08
I'm going to town tomorrow so I'm going to get a cashier's check and put it in the mail for April's menu. Yep, I'm going to at least try it. It seems like a pretty good mix of stuff.
@kimbers867 (2539)
• United States
31 Mar 08
Oh I wish we had one close to me in my portion of Maryland but we don't. I don't buy a lot of meats from Aldi's, DH is not too keen on it, so I am trying to save money to split a cow with someone. That should cut down on the food expense. I'm anxious to see how this discussion goes, and maybe I will get lucky one day and have one near me.
@whittby (3072)
• United States
31 Mar 08
There were a bunch of churches up in the Akron area that did this program. If you eat this kind of food, it seems very worthwhile. Did you go to the website and check out the menu for the month? I also think the extras they offer are a good deal - also listed on the website? I wish they had one out here, but none in Nevada. I knew some folks who participated in this program back east and they practically ate dinner all month just on the Angel Food package. You would have to do the math on the gas I guess and see how you are out.
@Ldyjarhead (10233)
• United States
31 Mar 08
I'll be going to Circleville to pick up. It's about 15-20 miles, but I'll count it as the country drive that we might take once a month anyway, so I think it will be worth it. Yes, I looked at the menu and this month I think I'll do it. I'll continue to check them out each month to see which I'll want to get.
@gantwick (849)
• United States
1 Apr 08
We do the Angel Food thing once in awhile. It's usually a pretty good deal. Sometimes the chicken we've received has been more bones than meat. There is also something called, I believe, "Colorado Shares". It's new to this area (Oklahoma), but it seems to have better deals (more choices) than Angel Food. Either way, they are for a good cause. Any of the packaged or canned food we don't eat, we give to the local homeless shelter or donate to a food drive.
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
1 Apr 08
Yes, we have one nearby, but last I heard it was 25.00, but that was about a year and a half ago..I have always wanted to take advantage of it, but we never seem to have the money when it was time to order and now that we do, the menu doesn't look too good..As for experiences with it, my daughter has tried it because her Mother-in-law's church is where the pick up is and she really likes it and says the food is good..
@Ldyjarhead (10233)
• United States
1 Apr 08
I know people that have used it for years and have always raved about it. Now that it's available not far from here, I'm going to give it a try and see if it's worth the drive. Yes, I believe it was $25 before, but of course food prices have increased along with everything else, and they have to factor in transportation costs too.
@dawnald (85129)
• Shingle Springs, California
1 Apr 08
Never even heard of them!
@Ldyjarhead (10233)
• United States
1 Apr 08
Dawn, go check it out. I believe it's angelfoodministries.com