Grace Community Church now hosts the low-cost food program, Angel Food Ministries. Members of the Falcon congregation provide 25 to 30 volunteers each month to operate the program.Program Director Melanie Stone said the church became a host site in March, and 80 families participate each month. She said she expects the number to continue increasing.AFM food boxes cost $30 and contain meats, frozen vegetables, dairy and staples such as rice, beans and potatoes. Each box is designed to feed a family of four for one week, and AFM estimates consumers would pay $50 to $60 at the store for the same groceries. Supplement boxes costing $16 to $20 are available with the purchase of a regular unit, and they contain additional meat and fresh produce.Stone said the food is restaurant quality, with no expired items or over-ripe produce. The secret behind the low cost is AFM’s bulk purchasing power, she said.”Angel Food Ministries is for everyone. There are no qualifications,” Stone said. “Many people are uncomfortable about ordering Angel Food because they think it is a program that is intended to serve only disadvantaged families. That is not true.”Stone said the community program is available to families from every socioeconomic group. “Let’s face it, with the rising costs of gas and food, who couldn’t use a little help with their grocery bill?” she said.”I would invite everyone to give it a try,” said Laura Nelson, Falcon resident.Nelson said she began buying the food boxes in March. “I can go for two weeks on a box, cooking at home every day,” she said. “I personally priced the items in the box and found it was the equivalent of $65.”Once she was sold on the products, Nelson said she encouraged her elderly father to start buying the Angel Food boxes. “You won’t find a more frugal man than my dad and he called raving about it.” She said it also alleviates her concerns about her father because she knows he is getting proper nutrition.The only downside, Nelson said, is being organized. “You have to be disciplined about the pick-up date.” Unclaimed boxes cannot be held at Grace Community Church; they are donated to the Falcon Food Pantry, she said.”But it’s really nice. It takes 10 minutes to go through the line and pick everything up and volunteers help you carry it out,” she said. “It’s faster than the grocery store, which for me includes a wander down every aisle.”Order dates are Aug. 8, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Aug. 9, 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.; and Aug 10, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. The pick-up date is Aug. 23 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Order forms are available at Grace Community Church at 7376 McLaughlin Road in Falcon, at the corner of Woodmen and Meridian roads.For more information, call 719-660-7374 or visit www.angelfoodministries.com.
