Last November, the Pasco and Kennewick Nazarene churches began participating in Angel Food Ministries, a national program based in Georgia that offers food at a discounted price to families across the nation.  Currently, the churches are two of only 14 sites in the state of Washington participating in the program.  It was just “coincidence” that the two churches applied for the program around the same time.

Customers order the food once a month from Angel Food Ministries (AFM) through the local church.  The food is delivered monthly at a set day and time to the drop site at the Pasco Church of the Nazarene.  Both churches have a period of a few hours to unload the order, divide it up, and distribute the food.  A local business donates the use of a forklift to the Pasco church to help get the food pallets off the delivery truck.

The program offers a variety of food boxes to suit different types of families, and is considerably cheaper than the cost of comparable food at local grocery stores.  Most of the items in the regular boxes are frozen, and consist of a variety of meats, vegetables, and starches, plus some additional items like eggs and milk.  Some of the products are name brand, and the food is good quality (not almost-outdated food).  Angel Food purchases most of their food through restaurant retailers, and passes the bulk price savings on to the consumer.

Anyone can purchase the food (there are no income restrictions or qualifications) and there is no limit to how much food can be purchased.  Food stamps are also accepted.  The basic food boxes are similar in content each month and cost $24, $34, or $44 dollars.  There is also a box with allergen-free breaded meats, a box of pre-prepared frozen meals, and a box with just fruits and vegetables.  During the holiday months, a special holiday meal box is also available.  Currently there are several boxes designed just for children, and each month there is a box of steak or chicken or a combination of the two.

The first month started off slow, but by the third month, the two churches had sold 345 boxes.  The response from the community has been good.  Karen Walker, who attends the Pasco Church of the Nazarene, said she was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the food and the amount.  She and her husband John are senior citizens on a fixed income, and while food prices have gone up, their Social Security checks haven’t.  One box of food lasted them two weeks.  Another lady who ordered from the Kennewick Church explained the difficulties she and her husband had been having over the past year. They were struggling to make ends meet.

“I read the article in the paper on or around Christmas about Angel Food Ministries and we both had a hard time believing we could take advantage of something almost too good to be true! We ordered 3 boxes online and I was a little nervous but was blown away by how orderly and cheery the whole operation was when I went to pick up our food in January!  We were curious to see if the food was really as good as it appeared to be – and are thrilled that it is!  To top it off, our grocery bill is about ½ what it would have been.”

The churches have seen many new faces come through their doors as a result of the program, and are excited to have found a new way to share the love of Jesus with the community.  The ministry offers opportunities for people to act in a service capacity.  Volunteers range from small children to senior citizens.  Individuals from the community have also volunteered, including members of the “Head Start” program, and a Starbucks employee (who brings coffee!).  The Kennewick church also has a free food pantry, and they have seen an increase in the amount of requests for a food box, which has been well supported by the congregation.

The two churches are still working to get the word out to the community about the program, and there are other churches in the area that are now considering participating in the program as well.   If you would like to see the menu, or if your church is interested in participating in the program, there is a wealth of information on the website at www.angelfoodministries.com.  You can also contact Heather Pendleton from the Pasco Church at (509) 930-9754 or Patti Corbett at the Kennewick Church at (509) 783-8774.