When I told you all about The Coupon Master, I also came across another great resource, but didn’t want to tell you about it until I went through the whole process. I found this information in the same Women’s Day article as the Grocery Game and The Coupon Master. This organization is called Angel Food Ministries http://angelfoodministries.org. It has been around for fifteen years. When I went to the site and looked at the history and what they were about, I was really impressed. What a fantastic idea and a wonderful example of God using people to help other people. This is what it’s all about.
First of all, it is for anyone who needs to save money on food. This is not like a food pantry, where sometimes you get food that has passed the expiration date on the box. This is more on the lines of Market Day. You can go to the website and see if there is a church or organization in your area that is a host of Angel Food Ministries. When you find one, you can contact them directly. You will get an order form that you fill out, and you can mail in checks, or take your payment in. They also accept food stamps. There is a due date for the orders. Then there is a pick-up date at the end of the month. I received my order form through email, after I contacted the church in my area, which was St. Paul Lutheran Church in Matteson, IL. You purchase “boxes” of food. You have to purchase a regular box in order to purchase a special box. The regular box is $30 and feeds a family of four for one week. This is what I received in my regular box for this month:
1.5 lb. Ribeye Steaks (4-6oz)
1 Whole Young Chicken (about 5 lbs.)
28 oz. Chicken Breast Nuggets
28 oz. Salisbury Steak Dinner Entree
28 oz. Breaded Chicken Breast Filets
12 oz. Smoked Polish Sausage Links
16 oz. California Blend Frozen Vegetables
1 lb. Rice
16 oz. Frozen Chopped Spinach
16 oz. Frozen Carrots
10 ct. Frozen Waffles
16 oz. Bean Soup Mix
32 oz. Borden 2% reduced fat Shelf Stable Milk
9 oz. Instant Potatoes
15 oz. Can Fruit Cocktail
1 Dozen eggs
1 Dessert Item (Apple filled Cookies)
All for $30. I did a rough estimate on what this might cost in the store, and it would probably be about $45. This is good quality food too. I put the steaks on the grill tonight, and they were so good, they about melted in my mouth. It had to be the grade of meat, because I tend to burn things up on the grill, and dry out most meat. Anniehow…They also have special boxes that you can purchase once you buy a regular box. I bought the 7 lb. Family Grill Box that included the following:
1.5 lb. Baseball Cut Steaks
2 lbs. Juicy Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
2 lbs. St. Louis Style ribs
1.5 lb. Hamburger patties
The special boxes are $18 – $20. Last month they had a 4.5 lb. Steak and Chicken Combo Box for $20, 4.5 lb. Stuffed Chicken Breast Box for $18, and a Fresh Fruit and Veggie Box for $18. You can buy as many of the regular boxes and the special boxes as you want. There is no limit to what you purchase. You can always go on the site to view the menu for the upcoming month. For September they have something new, which is the Senior Box. There are ten individual fully cooked meals labeled with heating instructions, all for $25. They also have a special “5 for 4” box, which is 5 dinner meals that will feed a family of four. I just think this is fantastic. It does save you money, and extra trips to the store. You can also find information on the website for being a host site. If you are a host site, you do receive something for being a host, which makes for a great outreach and fund-raiser for churches. Like I said, I went to the church in my area, and it was so smoothly run. You bring boxes, and they have carts that you can place your boxes on. You tell them who you are, and they hand you a slip of paper, and you go to the food area, and a person is there, and gives you one of each (or however many you ordered) of the regular box, and the special boxes are already boxed up, so they hand those to you. Take them out to your car and you are done. I was also able to order for next month as well.
This is a really great resource for people who live alone, or for senior citizens or for anyone who would like to save some money on groceries. It saves you money, and it also helps your local church. For more information visit their website at:
http://angelfoodministries.org
Believe it or not, I bought this pendant for $6.99. The website is Silver Jewelry Club (link below). The jewelry is FREE, you only pay shipping. They offer certain items at certain times, but when you order it, everything is $6.99. They do have a whole catalogue where you can actually purchase some of their other things. The things I saw for “Free” were really nice, and they are just as nice once you receive them. You also have the opportunity to buy necklaces to go with the pendants when you order the free jewelry. I was impressed with the jewelry because it is unique looking, and they have many different colored gems to choose from. The only thing I didn’t like was how long I had to wait to receive it in the mail. (About 7-10 days). It could of been because of the holiday that it took so long, but it was worth the wait once I received it. Any of this jewelry would make a great gift, and the receiver would never know that you only paid $6.99. 
Carrie Ann Alexis 
