Does anyone feel "guilty" about getting these. I understand that I don't know anyone's situation, and please don't take this as me being insulting, but I kinda feel guilty. I feel like if I can afford to go to the grocery store and purchase it I should save this for more needy people.
I researched it before ordering and found out that ANYONE can order the boxes no matter what your income level is. If you want to save money on food, then you can order and it doesn't take away from anyone else. It actually benefits the host church.
I think they must have different distributers for different parts of the country. I heard everything was nice quality so we tried it out. I'm also in NM and the quality for the meat products especially was awful, some of it verging on inedible. (the meat loaf mass of goo comes to mind and just the other night I thawed the pork 'chops' which were really chunks of fat with tons of bone shards and a little meat.) Really liked the shelf stable milk though! I'm glad the quality is better in other parts of the country and maybe the quality is better for the boxes of stuff other than the basic box.
A friend of mine ordered at the same time I did (her first box, too) and we went together to pick them up. In addition to the signature box, she also ordered the "Super Value Fajita Kit" which was supposed to have the cut-up frozen beef, fajita-mix vegetables, and flour tortillas. We both got a chuckle out of the bag of fajita vegetables because what they gave here was not a fajita mix. It was supposed to be bell peppers and onions, but the bag of frozen vegetables was carrots and zucchini. Now, I may not cook every night, but I do know how to cook fajitas and have done so many times. I've yet to make fajitas with carrots and zucchini!!! Also, the bag was tiny (enough for one meal for 4 people), but the box cost $21. We figured she could have bought the same food in a frozen Tyson bag at the grocery store for $8.00. Needless to say, she was very disappointed, as well.
I don't want to slam the program because I do feel it serves a need and many people have been very pleased with their food quality. It must be like others have said -- the quality of the food varies by region. When one area gets shabby cuts of fatty brown meat and no-name brand oreo-type cookies that could be purchased at Family Dollar, while someone else gets nice cuts of meat and pumpkin pies or frozen chocolate chip cookie dough, I see a big discrepancy in the value.
It would be nice if people could actually post pictures of their food when they get it home. It would help others know what to expect and what the food actually looks like. For example, the spaghetti sauce was not in a jar as shown in the picture on the website -- it was an off brand in a can (again, similar to what I'd find at Family Dollar). the hamburger meat was in a very small package and when I fried it and drained the fat, I filled an empty can 1/2 way with grease! I'd be interested to see the great cuts of meat others are getting.
I'm very anxious to see what my "region" gets!!! I'll try to post pics. when they come. I think the next delivery isn't until April 24th here.
cant beat the price. i love their ny strip steaks and so does dd. the chicken nuggets and Salisbury steaks will come in handy too. especially on nights i dont feel like cooking. they are easy for dd or i to just toss in the oven. i didnt order for a couple of months and as expected my grocery bill crept up. 
The fruit/veggie box was fresh and in good shape as I've always found. I seldom will get fresh pineapple due to the price; same with pears so delighted to get them. The only items I've gotten in the past I was not happy with were some breaded chicken "drumettes" and some sirloin wrapped with bacon to look like filets. I pick up some boxes for a co-worker who loves it also. The May veggie selection is right up my alley. I do need to start making more rice dishes, lol. I have a few bags building up. This is "forcing" me to eat more healthy choices such as apples for snacks at work versus our "Willy Wonka Drawer" chocolate stash, lol! 
