Angel Food Ministries

I am curious if anyone uses or has used the Angel Food Ministries for food? We use to, but in the nearly two and a half years we have been down here we have only done it once. I don't always like the food items offered, so I would have to play it month by month, but Junes menu is pretty decent.

For those that have never heard of Angel Food it is a nation wide, church based, non profit ministry. Its purpose is to "provide grocery relief and financial support." There are no income requirements or restrictions. I have been to churches where it is middle/upper class people picking up the food, and other churches where it is very poor people picking up the food, so both ends of the board use this!

They sell food by the "unit" - a medium sized box consisting of fresh and frozen foods. None of the foods are seconds, damaged or near expiry. One unit, at the cost of $30, is suppose to feed a family of four for about one week.
Like I said at the beginning, I don't always like the food they offer. Sometimes there is a lot of breaded meat. Or meats we don't eat. Or I can get all of the food cheaper at our grocery store. But I do love the concept of Angel Food, and am thinking of starting back at it.
The food, on average, retails for $60 if bought at the store.

The menu for June (which you can currently order) includes:

1.5 lb. Ribeye Steaks (4 x 6 oz.)

2 lb. Homestyle Lasagna Dinner Entrée

2 lb. Beef and Bean Burritos (8 x 4 oz.)

2 lb. Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breast Chunks

28 oz. Jumbo Beef Pattie Entrée with Gravy

1 lb. Lean Ground Beef

1 lb. All Meat Hotdog

10 oz. Individually Wrapped Sliced Cheese (16 slice)

20 oz. Shoestring Fries

1 lb. Broccoli Cuts

12 oz. Peanut Butter

1 lb. Rice

1 lb. Pinto Beans

1 lb. Margarine Tub
(Zero Grams Trans Fat)

32 oz. 2% Shelf Stable Milk

Dozen Eggs

Dessert

There are some items we wouldn't use, such as the sliced cheese, the margarine and possibly the dessert, depending on what it is. Desserts have varied from nice, large pies to gross pudding packets, so you never know what you'll get for dessert!

I would also have to add in salads, which we eat daily, and other hot vegetables to balance out the meals. I would also need to buy all our fruit and our breakfast items.

On top of the regular box for $30 they offer special boxes - either all meat boxes or, more recently, all fruit boxes. The all meat boxes consist of various steak cuts, or bacon wrapped meats. Generally they are nicer meats and the price of the 'special' boxes works out to anywhere from $2 - $5 per lb on average.
In the past we have ordered steak boxes and used them for date nights at a significant savings over a steak house or even from buying the same cut at a local grocery store.

I think we are going to order 2 regular boxes for a total of $60. I have worked out a 2 week menu plan with those items and the additional groceries needed to complete lunches and suppers and to make breakfast would cost right about $60, for a total of $120 for 2 weeks worth of meals.
If anyone is interested I will post the recipes and meal plan based around the Angel Food menu later this week.

Check out their website for more information, to find local host sites, and to see their May menu (which is too late to order!)