Angel Food Ministries...

[bellebuzzandpooh]

Tell me about it.

I just became aware of it today.

It sounds interesting. But would I feel guilty using it? I mean we could all use the help, but we're not *that* bad off, you know? Anyone have experience with it or opinions they are willing to share?

Thanks!

 

[DawnM]

I have used them before. The food is quite highly processed and the steaks are grissly in my opinion.

People have said you can similar items at Aldi for about the same price.

Dawn

 

[jwann]

I think it's a great deal and we get it every month. We like 80% of the stuff and we donate what we won't eat to the local food pantry so I don't feel guilty at all! We get one order each month (one order is supposed to feed a family of 4 for a week and you can get as many orders as you like) and I use it to supplement our menus for the month. Yes, some of it is processed foods but with our busy schedule we can use a quick meal once in a while. I say try it out. Don't feel bad getting it. For every order that is placed, the distribution site gets $1 and there are some matching programs that donate orders to food pantries, etc.

 

[bellebuzzandpooh]

Thanks Dawn!

We don't have an Aldi nearby.

And really, the food was very processed? The site presents it like it's quite nutritious so I'm surprised to hear that.

Would you buy it again if you didn't have Aldi?

 

[sandisuze]

i know a lot of people who use it- and we are sending more every month.
it is a wonderful program that helps people get food at a good price.
they do not have any income requirements that I am aware of
the food is NOT day old or weird "no one has ever heard of " brands.
we send many people to them if they need food and have an income- food banks are geting very empty. I get so many calls every day for help and it's not even really 'bad" yet- i am afraid to see what bad will look like.
for 30.00 you get a lot of food and they have specials you can also order. for the 30.00 you get anywhere from 40 to 70 dollars worth of food. (thats what I have on a paper could be less or more)
I know you have to pre -order and pay then on pick up day you go to the site and take a large box and your food is packed.
They are all over the country and i have never had anyone say anything bad about them so far. these are just my experiences -
others may have had issues or be able to answer your questions better
I do think some foods may be processed- look at their menu and see-
Again in my experience I have never gotten a bad response from anyone in this area.
I think checking out their web site may help answer questions.

IMO i would use it if i only needed it- but that is me. i am thankful they are there is needed. they do a good thing and help a lot of people. I also think they take food stamps. (that's not in my area of work so I am not sure.)

 

[sk!mom]

Gross, over-processed, crappy food.

They advertise it as restaurant quality food so I thought cool- a way to stretch the grocery budget. It was mostly inedible. We finally cooked the steaks and fed them to the dog. I have a dog with very low standards- he loved them. I tried it for one more month to help get it going here and because it could have just been a bad month but it was worse, if anything. I'm very thankful that I don't have to eat it.

As far as feeling guilty, if you can stand to eat it then I don't think that will be a problem. Around here they pushed it even at the more affluent churches because they have to sell enough units for this to be a delivery site. Of course, I live in the middle of no where so a metropolitan area might have a different attitude.

Did I overstate how much I hated it?

 

[kbkids]

I wasn't impressed with the food at all. When I factored in what I threw away or gave away, it really wasn't a money saver for me at all. The steaks are very chewy and tough. I tried it for about three months, hoping I just hit it on an off month, but it just never got better, so I quit buying it.

 

[DawnM]

Actually, I am not that close to an Aldi, but several friends have priced it out and posted on another site I am a part of.

We actually decided to budget a little more for food and get better quality food. Most of the chicken is breaded and some of the beef is the precooked, stick it in the micro type.

Our current diet consists of almost NO processed foods and very little meat and we get most of it from Costco....fresh fruits, veggies, brown rice,potatoes, whole grains, raisins and nuts. We are still able to stay within the budget this way and feel much better.

But you might want to get just one box one month and see what you think.

Dawn

Thanks Dawn!

We don't have an Aldi nearby.

And really, the food was very processed? The site presents it like it's quite nutritious so I'm surprised to hear that.

Would you buy it again if you didn't have Aldi?

 

[sandisuze]

I do believe different areas has different foods possibly at different times.
I could be wrong about this- again i only know about them from the people who do work with the people who need food assistance. thats not my dept!

I know recently people got bagged apples, potatoes, bagged carrots, dried beans, rice, canned vegetables, canned fruit. along with meats and mac & cheese boxes, corn flakes and soup, peanut butter.

I also know that the peanut butter AFM provides along with the bread & Milk we can give them helps a lot of kids eat dinner who would be going hungry.

I wouldn't feel guilty- but it may not be what you are used to eating or cooking.

 

[marypoppinswannabe]

Well, I am trying them for the first time this month. I know there is no income requirement, so I thought I would check it out to see if this something I would recommend to others.

Based on what I am reading, this may be the only time I try, but I thought it would be worth it at least once to check out their ministry out.

 

[CDoobee]

This will be our 3rd month getting it. We've liked the food okay. I can't comment too much on the meat products, since DD and I are vegetarian. DS and DH are carnivores, so we figured if we get them some meat this way, it leaves more money in the budget for DD and me to be able to buy more Morningstar Farms and Boca vegetarian products! The only thing I've noticed is that the meat that has bones in it (i.e. frying chicken pieces, etc.) has lasted in the freezer longer than the other meats, so apparently they don't like that kind as much.

 

[marcyinPA]

We started buying about two years ago, when the price was $25 and the food wasn't that bad. My kids liked the breaded chicken tenders. We all really enjoyed the boneless chicken..especially the seasoned ones. They were great on the grill! I agree that most of the food is processed and the meat loaded with preservatives, flavoring solutions, etc. The chicken was tolerable...the pork and beef AWFUL. Tough, full of gristle, and just nasty!!

I stopped buying when the price went up and the amount of food went down. The chicken is now mostly breaded all the time. I hadn't seen boneless chicken breasts on the menu for a long time. I can go buy store brand peanut butter, corn flakes, dried beans (we don't eat them anyway!), and no name mac and cheese for very little money. The rest of the food (quality wise) in the food box is not worth the money, imho!

 

[xominnieox2]

I too just heard about this, I'm going to try it this month. I'll report back later.

 

[magiccouple2004]

we just tried it last month and it was pretty good they gave us stouffers frozen food havent tried the meat yet but my neighbor has used it for several months and hasnt had no problems with the meat he says it is actually good as for the canned goods they are also good we also got a chocolate cream pie as dessert which was good

 

[brenl]

I have been doing angel food ministries for two years and a few months. We love it. There is a few things we don't like s try to find some one else who can use it. My kids love the breaded chicken.

 

[rileysmommy]

I was thinking of trying it in June. If I do it I'll report back how it was. I'm a little nervous about it now.

 

[amsafko]

I'm a social worker in southern NJ. A few of my clients have tried using the one near us but they were very disorganized - very hard to contact and they changed sign up and pick up times/days every month so it was hard for our clients to arrange. When one of our clients did get it, and trust me they weren't about to be picky, they did not like it at all. Highly processed and already in sauces that did not taste good. I believe this might differ from place to place so I would say try it where you are and see if it works for you.

Please don't take this the wrong way but I personally would only use such a resource if I really needed it (had trouble having any food in the house), I see a lot of people with literally no food in their kitchens and it just breaks my heart - I'd much rather see them get it than someone just trying to save a little bit of money.

 

[rgmartin]

Please don't take this the wrong way but I personally would only use such a resource if I really needed it (had trouble having any food in the house), I see a lot of people with literally no food in their kitchens and it just breaks my heart - I'd much rather see them get it than someone just trying to save a little bit of money.

I disagree with this opinion. I have not heard any reports of them running out, so one person saving a little money would not keep someone else (who may need it worse) from getting food. To the contrary, the website states that for every box someone purchases, money is donated toward boxes for the needy. Therefore, if more people purchase, more boxes are available for the needy.

I have tried it, with mixed reviews from my family. I look at each month's menu before deciding whether to buy next month. I skip months that we don't like the menu, but other months may look like my typical grocery list. It does have a lot of "prepared" items, but with kids, I like to keep some quick, pre-cooked items on hand for those hurried nights. I wouldn't use this as my "main" grocery purchase, but it does often stock up the pantry.

 

[cukal6]

This is our 3rd month purchasing and so far we have been very happy. There are a few things each month that I refuse to use (frozen meatloaf for example) but most of the time the food isn't too bad. Last months package was exactly what I would normally buy at the grocery store and I guarantee it saved me at least $50. We do not use it as our main source of groceries, but as a supplement to what I normally buy. I even convinced one of my good friends to try it and she was very happy that she did. With the cost of groceries going up, I would at least try it one month and see how you like it.

 

[dogodisney]

My church has been doing Angel Food for about a year. I was a little skeptical at first but many other members have tried it and were pleased with it for the most part. Most of the menus didn't seem pleasing to me so I didn't bother. I also felt a little guilty because I didn't feel right about getting it since financially, I don't "need" it. But the past 2 months the menus seemed decent so I have been ordering. My husband is away from home once a week so the meals are good for my girls and I. What I don't want I can just donate to my church' s food bank so someone else can benefit from it too.