Angel Food Ministries Helps Snellville Residents

Angel Food Ministries, a nonprofit group that provides food and financial help to communities throughout the United States, is helping families in the Snellville area buy food they can afford. Several churches in the area, including the Berean Christian Church which has locations in Snellville and Stone Mountain, have partnered with the ministry and are host sites for the program.

“We have been with Angel Food Ministries for about three years,” said Erica Elder, coordinator for the program at Berean Christian Church. “Our church saw the ministry as an outreach. This was a way for us to partner with Angel Food Ministries and reach our community."

Elder briefly explained how the program works. “A regular box of food costs $35 and feeds a family of four for about a week or a senior citizen for about a month,” said Elder. Boxes can be ordered on the Angel Food Ministry website or by calling their church. "Pickup is always the fourth Saturday of each month unless there is a holiday," said Elder.

According to the Angel Food Ministries website, there are at least six churches specifically in Snellville that also participate as host sites: Annistown Road Baptist Church, Connect Point Christian Church, Holy Fellowship Church of God in Christ, Mount Zion Baptist Church, New Jerusalem Church and Shiloh Baptist Church.

“Each month's menu is different than the previous month and consists of both fresh and frozen items with an average retail value of approximately $60,” according to the Angel Food Ministries website. In addition, there are no qualifications, minimums, or applications.

Pastors Joe and Linda Wingo started the ministry in 1994 when an industrial plant in the Monroe, Georgia, area closed and left several families without work. Since then, the program has grown to feed hundreds of thousands of families in over 45 states.

Not everyone needs this program, but Elder encourages people to use the ministry as a way to connect with others in their community who may be in need. “You can purchase a box and give it as a donation to a needy family that you know or it can be an [anonymous] donation to someone you don’t know.  I talked to a man yesterday who purchased a box for a neighbor who is paralyzed on one side," Elder said.

For more information about the Angel Food Ministries and a list of host sites in the Stone Mountain area, visit their website at www.angelfoodministries.com.