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Melinda Polk thinks she may have gotten a phone call from an angel.
“It was kind of a God thing,” said Mrs. Polk, executive director of the Kaufman Christian Help Center. “I had a gal call me -- she was probably an angel -- and said I just moved here…’we had a program called Angel Food and it really helped me in a crunch time.’
Mrs. Polk had been looking for a way to help families with food and, based on the woman’s phone call, began looking into Angel Food Ministries. In December 2005, she started the program in Kaufman County. Since then three churches have become Angel Food distributors and among the four they serve about 500 families a month.
Through the program, clients pay $25 to order a box of food that contains enough to feed a family of four about a week. The national Angel Food Ministries program buys food in bulk at below retail prices. It’s then shipped out to distribution points, picked up by local groups and distributed to clients on a Saturday morning once a month.
“There are no restrictions. This is not taking food from any food pantry,” Mrs Polk said. “I buy it for my family.”
The deadline to order food and the distribution date changes monthly. This month food must be order by March 18 or 19, depending on the group, and will be distributed March 31.
Rev. Rick Lemons of Fellowship Baptist Church in Forney said he sees it as a great outreach program.
“Angel Food is a great way to help people help themselves. It’s not a food bank. It’s people helping themselves,” he said.
Cindy Trammell, who runs the program at Fellowship, said the church distributes about 150 food boxes a month and the program is growing.
“I believe this month is going to be our biggest month,” she said.
Most of the food is distributed by churches. Before becoming an official part of the ministry, churches work through another congregation that already has an established program. Then, after straightening out the kinks, they become a host congregation.
It takes a lot of volunteers. Someone must take the orders and collect the money and request the food from the national Angel Food office. Then on distribution day, volunteers are needed to pick up the food, sort it and hand it out to the clients.
“It would not work without the volunteers,” said Maxcine Miller, who coordinates the program for First Assembly of God in Terrell. “The volunteers absolutely feel so blessed to be able to minister to others through Angel Food.”
The church serves about 120 a month and uses the National Guard Armory in Terrell as the distribution point.
Spirt Driven Ministries in Terrell distributes food at Terrell Christian Academy. The group draws members from five cowboy churches.
They found they often had a box or two of food left over each month, said Darcy Haverly, so they put it in freezers to pass on to those who need food in an emergency.
The other groups also keep a little of the food in reserve for those who can’t pay.
The program is open to anybody; there is no qualifying. It’s not a government program. Clients can order food every month or just when they need it. “Sixty to 70 percent come back every month but we have a boatload of new people, too,” Mrs. Polk said.
The deadline for ordering a food box changes monthly so those interested in ordering should call or e-mail one of the programs for instructions.
Reach Kaufman Christian Help Center at 972-932-8866; Fellowship Baptist at 972-564-9553 or visit fellowshipforney.org. First Assembly of God can be reached at 972-524-5404 and e-mail Spirit Driven Ministries at scobydoo@swbell.net.
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| Last Updated: Jan 4th, 2009 - 18:57:55 |
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