Trent, you do the program a disservice when you say that people who don’t “need” this kind of program shouldn’t use it. 1) the host site gets $1 from each box to use in its own ministries and 2) as a poster above said, every dime she doesn’t spend on food is a dime she can use to help others.

Whether one gives away saved money or not isn’t important for the sake of this argument, but as you have said yourself many times, every spending choice you make has an impact on spending/life options you have later. You are putting your own values on others by saying if you can afford to pay more for food then you should spend more on food by buying from another place.

As you know, most people choose to save money where it doesn’t matter much to them so they can spend it where it does. The things that are important and unimportant to me will probably be different from what is important and unimportant to you. I wouldn’t impose my priorities on you and don’t expect you to tell me where I should or shouldn’t direct my resources.

If you are not sure if Angel Food is for you, give it a try. It’s only about $21-41 to try a box, depending on what kind/size of box you get. If you find it to be a good deal for your family keep ordering. If it isn’t a good deal for your family, don’t order it again. Simple, isn’t it?

1. SAVE UP 6 – 12 Months of LIVING EXPENSES so you do NOT NEED Angel Food Ministries.

2. Cut Down or CUT OFF your Cell Phone if you have trouble saving 6-12 Mo’s Living Expenses.

3. Cut-Down or CUT OFF your Cable TV if you have trouble saving 6-12 Mo’s Living Expenses.

4. Drive Your Car 7-10 Years and Save 6-12 Mo’s Living Expenses while you have no car payment.

* God should be your source, Not Angel Food Min!

Food banks tend to have a lot of cookies, other packaged stuff, and dry milk. Sometimes they don’t even have a can of tuna or any beef stew for protein. Yes, most Americans do want meat. Corn dogs aren’t that bad a food, if you like them. Most Americans need some occasional junk food. Really needs some fresh food supplementation!

If a low income family is having to work a couple of jobs, this is also convenient. It can be hard to go from grocery store to grocery store without a car.

FYI, wheeled luggage carriers are excellent donations to charity.

I am now on Social Security disablity and have a lot of food allergies. I think you can do better at the grocery stores. I keep tons of rice, pasta, potatoes, stuff like that, and supplement them with meat and fresh produce.

Angel Food is supposed to serve first quality food. I really don’t know. It is definitely something you need to evaluate for yourself.

The fact that it has no income questions or eligibility questions also makes it very attractive. There are lots of working people who run short on money due to car repairs or something and then need help with food. Suppose the toilet breaks and one has to buy a new toilet and pay a plumber! During my years in welfare, I saw lots of more middle class people who were in a jam who simply were too high income for food stamps. And then they get their feelings hurt because they work and pay the taxes for the food stamps.

Most of them would probably feel better about buying a food box than just taking food from a food pantry.

There are also many low income families who skirt the income limits for food stamps. One month they can’t qualify for food stamps and the next month they can.

I’ve seen a famly of three who had income about $25 under the food stamp limits and get about $150 of food stamps. But, when the head of household goes a penny over the food stamp limit, they get no food stamps. That’s the way government works; it has cutoffs.

It probably be helpful if families could share with each other what they don’t eat, like I don’t eggs.

If more middle middle class families knew about this program, I think it would help them a lot.

I also like the idea of some food stamp recipients buying these food boxes because a lot of them just blow their money irresponsibly.

About 8 months ago my sister started getting Angel Food for her son (unemployed); 6 months ago started getting one for herself; 5 months ago I got a box for myself and one for my son (also unemployed). There has never been one speck of food that has gone to waste. We have no complaints. The meat is great. I have never found any food that was of lesser quality than what I was buying at Aldi or Walmart.

Every month my sister and I find things in the boxes that we’ve never had before (she also gets a fruit/veggie box). It stretches not only our budgets but stretches our minds in finding recipes using those things, making us step out of our food “comfort zone” and learning to enjoy new tastes. I’ve hated lima beans since I was 4 years old; we got lima beans in Angel Food in September. I went to the Internet and found a recipe from the Soup Nazi restaurant in New York for lima bean soup. I added 2 c. chicken for a more hearty soup and it is absolutely delicious! I did give my son the sweet potatoes we got one month because he likes them. I have never, ever thrown any food away from the Angel Food boxes.

I check the sales flyers before I pick up my Angel Food, and every month, without fail, the food would have cost me between $57-$72. I’m happy to pay $30 for that much food.

I take 2 laundry baskets with me, put them on a kitchen cart, and go along the tables set up with food. The volunteers behind those tables hand me the food or put it into the baskets, I say “thank you”, say “yes” to the person who comes up to me and asks me if I’d like someone to carry it to the car for me, and I’m out of there in a total of 20 minutes. If I’m there longer it’s because I’ve gone early to talk to folks.

I’m one of those people who doesn’t “need” to buy Angel Food, but every dime I save on my own food means I have more money I can spend to help others. At our distribution church if someone doesn’t pick up their food it goes to a food bank where people get it for free. The more people who buy Angel Food the better because the more food AFM contracts for, the better pricing they get.

Because I’m a widow this one basic box lasts me for more than a month with the supplement of fresh fruit when in season. Right now the freezer at the top of my refrigerator is so full I will give my box away this month. I met a lady who picked up her AF in September who is on dialysis and is having a hard time financially. I called the church, but no one knew who she was.

Dialysis diets are something I know a lot about, so if I can find her I am going to swap all the protein in my food box (including the steaks), plus some chicken and pork chops in my freezer, for those things in hers that she isn’t supposed to eat.

By the time I get the November delivery, my freezer will be a bit emptier, but maybe I can help her again once in awhile; and that is what community is; helping one another when you can. Had I not been getting AF myself, I’d never have met this lady and maybe wouldn’t have the chance to help her. I’m praying I can find her.

Interesting about the charity navigator site. Tzuchi is an organization I donate to and it’s a well established international charity started from Taiwan, but it’s not listed on the charity navigator’s site. I wonder what’s the criteria for being listed on the site and what being listed there means.

Please look at that again and check.

http://www.ajc.com/services/content/printedition/2009/03/07/angelfood0307.html

and

http://ydr.inyork.com/ci_11853629

$10 grand a month profit for plane rentals? And for the record, I was looking at using them for our own cupboard but thought that the costs were just too high for what you get.