It's an assembly line of food savings each Saturday once a month at Triangle Church in Chapel Hill. Cathy Bordeaux with Triangle Church says in each box you'll find, "Steak, pork chops, bacon, hot dogs, rice, cereal, frozen carrots, frozen cauliflower, broccoli and even desert." You get a variety of foods that fits inside one box for a mere $30. Cathy adds, "With the economy the way it is we all need to save money and this is a great way to save money."
It's called Angel Food Ministries, which started in Georgia more than 10 years ago and has grown across the country. Each month the menu is different than the previous month and consists of both fresh and frozen items. You pre-pay and order the food ahead of time and then pick up your box on distribution day at your local Angel Food site. Cathy adds, "It's sort of a like a food co-op since they are bulk distributing."
Anyone can participate. There are no income restrictions and Angel Food Ministries even accepts food stamps. Besides the $30 box, you can also order special boxes, that contain just meat, fresh fruit and veggies, or a frozen sides and fixin's box. So how can Angel Food offer these boxes of food at such a great price? Cathy says, "Imagine if grocery stores didn't have overhead like cashiers, baggers, they could pass those savings on to everybody. That's what Angel Food is doing because it's all volunteer basis for us. So they have only a few select items they're purchasing every month so able to pass savings along to everyone."
So just how good are the savings? All the food in the $30 box would typically cost you anywhere from $60 to $75 in the grocery store. This is also great for seniors as they have individual meals that are fully cooked and you just heat and serve.
To find out more about Angel Food Ministries and the local distribution sites throughout the Triangle, go to www.angelfoodministries.com and click on "find a local site".
You can still take advantage of the savings for the month of March at Triangle Church. They're located at 5510 Barbee Church Road Chapel Hills, NC 27517. This month's order deadline is the 15th, and you pick up the food that following Saturday on the 21st at the church.
Here's the menu for the month of March.
If you have a way you save money, feel free to base it along to Troubleshooter Diane Wilson.
