Info box
Orders and distribution each month will take place at Living Bible Church, 301 Fourth St. S.W. All orders must be prepaid.
• November orders will be distributed from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 22.
• Order dates for December are noon to 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 25 and Dec. 2. Items will be distributed from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 20.
By Karen Colbenson
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kcolbenson@postbulletin.com
In the midst of a difficult, sluggish economy, a national community food program is now being offered in the Austin area to help ensure that cupboards stay stocked and wallets stay full.
Living Bible Church and Austin Christian Fellowship recently announced a collaboration with Georgia-based Angel Food Ministries. Through the program, residents can order boxes of food at discounted prices. There are no eligibility requirements, applications or limits on order quantities. Food stamps are accepted.
Angel Food offers a medium sized box of food, worth about $60, for a discounted price of $30. The box contains top-quality, name-brand food staples including chicken or beef, milk, eggs, vegetables and other nutritional items. One box can feed a family of four for about one week. The menus, which consist of fresh and frozen items, vary each month and can be viewed online. Specialty boxes also are available for senior citizens.
The nonprofit, nondenominational Angel Foods Ministries provides hunger relief to communities across the country. The program was established in 1994 to provide food for struggling families in Georgia, but now serves more than 20 million Americans. In 2007, Angel Foods provided $95 million in direct food assistance to families.
Susan Sunde, member of Austin Christian Fellowship and coordinator of Angel Food Ministries for the Austin area, said the idea to bring the service to this region sprang from the heart.
"The big financial shakeup (of the economy) didn’t come until after we applied for the license to do this," said Sunde. "Basically it was the heart to serve the people. We saw a real need in the community. We’re very aware of the financial stress that many are under, and we saw it as a way to reach out and help others, as the Bible commands us to do."
According to Sunde, the service has been offered to the communities near Claremont for years. The purpose of the program is to help all families stretch their dollars and budgets further.
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"They are going to save $30 initially," said Sunde. "That’s going to allow them to put gasoline in their cars so they can get to work or buy jeans and shoes for their child. They don’t have to sacrifice their needs for balanced meals."
To order a box, call Living Bible Church at 433-5574 or Austin Christian Fellowship at 437-6327.
For more information, go to Postbulletin.com/weblinks.
Angel Food Ministries: http://www.angelfoodministries.com/
