Angel Food Ministries – Review
As promised in Episode 41 – Half Price Groceries, I’ve posted photos of my first experience with Angel Food Ministries. My overall thoughts? Fantastic!
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EDITED 09/04/2009 TO ADD:
Be sure to read all the reviews below the photos from other moms that have recently tried Angel Food Ministries before making your decision. I haven’t used the service recently and some customers are having mixed results. I’m not sure if this is a problem only in certain areas or overall. At the time that I reviewed these products in July 2008, I was pleased with my quality and service. The thing to remember is everyone’s circumstances, preferences and needs are different. My best advice to you would be to make a minimum order the first time and judge for yourself or ask other local folks if they were pleased with their last order.
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All this for $30. Think you can beat that at the grocery store with the same products? I dare you to try! You let me know if you score a deal and have a coupon for all these items, OK? 
Close up time! Yeah, that’s fresh eggs, meat & frozen vegetables! Even breakfast is covered with pancake mix!
Even got the kids covered with tator tots, pudding cups and Mac & Cheese!
So what are you waiting for? Find your local host at Angel Food Ministries.
Chele Neisler is your host for Moms Love Shopping. As a mother of three boys, Chele is happy to have Moms Love Shopping as an outlet and a connection to other women. Spending every moment with all males isn’t easy! Hosting the show also allows her the chance to return to her two first loves, shopping and chatting.
I just had my first experience with Angel food ministries. I bought the 30.00 box and the After School box. We have enjoyed everything we got. What a great deal! I agree most of the food is chicken nuggets, etc but my kids like that stuff and I am sure it is healthier than going to McDonald’s plus cheaper!
I hope you will give them a chance. I know I will be buying more in the future!
I could have saved money at Wal-Mart or Albertsons. The worst part was that the food was barely edible, if at all. . Most was thrown out. My little dogs wouldn’t even eat it.
Even got the kids covered with tator tots, pudding cups and Mac & Cheese.
Pancake mix cheaper if you buy flour and stir in a little baking powder and powdered milk!
I know kids eat that stuff, but you can do much better in a regularly grocery store. Get a huge bag of tator tots for cheap! Stir instant pudding into real milk. You can probably do so much better on even the cheap mac n cheese in the grocery!
The kids like their pudding in the cutesy cups, right?
That’s all chemicalized convenience foods, and it’s not the best stuff for the kids.
Churches should not be pressuring you to join either! This should be equal opportunity and nondiscriminatory.
I am surprised at the number of negative reviews of AFM. My son and I recently left an abusive home – a move that put us from a 6-figure salaried home to one eligible for reduced price school lunches. The first two months we were out on our own, I relied on food pantries to supplement our very limited food budget. Although there was no cost associated with the pantry food, there was not much of it that we could use. Items were random, unsold “oddities” that even my creative cooking couldn’t find a way to use.
I was somewhat apprehensive about AFM. My experience with “Christian Based” food programs had been extremely negative, condescending and guilt ridden. I was THRILLED with the AFM program, church distribution AND quality of food. There has been nothing in any of our boxes that was “inedible”
Maybe my perspective is just a little different. I live in a farming community – 20 miles from a “real” grocery store – and my son and I were without food. I feel it was a blessing to find AFM and will continue to purchase from them.
I just got a box of fruits and veggie box and so far everything looks good. My son didn’t like the grapes but I did. The celery has a very chemical taste even after I washed it, but it’s been 3 hours since I ate it and I am not sick. I also got an after school box and the corn dogs are good. I chopped up some onion for my tuna. I think this will be a good way not to eat out for a while. I bought some meat to go with the potatoes and carrots. This will last for a while.
I just had my first experience with Angel Food Ministries. I am trying to budget the best that I can being that I am a single mom (widowed thanks to war in Iraq)raising a disabled child all while working full time and furthering my education taking courses through my state’s university online.
Not to be picky but I felt that the quality of the items left quite a bit to be desired. I am more than POSITIVE that I have seen most of this stuff, including the meat, at the .99 Only Stores. My stomach churned when I looked at the cuts of meat, the boxed goods and such. The only thing that looks edible are the eggs. I have decided to pack up the $50 worth of food and donate it to my neighbor who thought everything looked great. I have colitis at the age of 32 and I felt everything bubble up when I ate the pizza and was curled up sick the entire weekend as my digestive track went in to revolt.
I feel that I can get GREAT quality and healthier groceries at Trader Joe’s, Bountiful Baskets Co-Op and Kroger for a few dollars more and feel much better about mine and my daughter’s health.
My other issue was that I felt I couldn’t LEAVE the site without the volunteers pressuring for me and my daughter to join their church and I feel that is extremely innapropriate. I do understand that the actions are not meant to be malicious and their intent is in the right place but also offering my child candy is a BAD BAD thing. She is diabetic and I wish they would ask ME before asking my child. I know they meant no harm but still……
Angel Food Ministries has a great concept. It just doesn’t work for us but I know it works for others but I will definitely NEVER order again.
I have been ordering now for one year. My family has been very pleased with all the products we have gotten. I am also in the Nashville area. I am wondering if different parts of the country receive different items. AFM sure has helped me with putting food on our table with the economy the way it is. Even trying to shop at Walmart our grocery bill continues to go up so AFM has been a blessing. Try it at least a couple of months.
I should also add that my hosting site is in the 37211 area near the Tusculum Hills Church of Christ.
I have been using AFM for about 6 months now in Nashville TN. I must say that after reading all of the reviews I was hesitant at first glance. However, I thought I would give it a shot since AFM seems to be all over the United States. I can honestly say that the quality of the meats has not disappointed me. The meats were all very lean, tender and good quality. Better than the meat from Kroger I would even say. Additionally, the desserts are usually cookie, lemon cake (manufactured by starbucks!) and baked goods. I have never received processed foods like boxed mac and cheese and etc. I guess it depends on the package you order. The produce is good. I have received such produce as kiwi, whole pineapple (which has been awesome and delicious) avocadoes which has been great. Sometimes, the potatoes are not as good as I would like them to be but overall everything else is good. If there’s anyone else who utilize AFM in the Nashville TN area I would love to hear your opinion. Thanks!
I have been more then satisfied with AFM and the food I have been receiving. I haven’t had any problems with the meat. Maybe many of the bashers need to buy better cuts of meat because they can’t cook from scratch.
I like the fact the menu is a bit different each month. I also like the time saving value of knowing what I will be getting, have it paid for and not have to use up time in the grocery store on the day I pick up my pre boxed food order.
We just picked up our first AFM order this past weekend. So far, so good!
We ordered a Signature Box ($30), a 7 lb Premium Meat Grilling Box ($23), and the Produce Box ($22). I priced out the boxes at my local Kroger’s (Houston, TX) and found out that the Signature Box is by far the best deal – saved us about $12 over Kroger’s when compared to comparable off-brand items. Everything came as described and the produce was fresh and unbruised. The hamburger patties made good burgers. The fruit has been yummy (apples and oranges). The potatoes and carrots tasted great in a stew I made yesterday. The little dinner rolls are really good too. We’re having the rib-eyes tomorrow.
My husband and I ate out at restaurants and fast food joints 3-5 nights a week before trying out AFM, so we were just hoping for better than what we were eating anyway. We are happy so far and will have cut our food budget to about $350 this month instead of our normal $600. My husband and I were trying to find something to motivate us to cook at home more often and the grab-bag mentality of AFM works for me.
February 2010’s AFM Signature Box looks even better than January’s – saving us about $15 over Kroger’s. We will probably be ordering a couple of those this time around, if the meat we try this week is good, and will be ignoring the other types of boxes since I can get almost the same prices on produce locally.
Hope this helps!
We just tried AFM for the heck of it to see how it was. Not good. The meat is very fatty and actually tastes bad. We usually buy store brand food, and this stuff that came with our box wasn’t even near that level in quality.
Our chicken patties are horrible tasting. I found bits of bone and a claw? in one of my patties. Plus 18 grams of fat in one patty??? The roast beef we just did in the crock pot tastes so processed it’s not even worth eating. We won’t be trying it again.
My wife and I are very frugal when it comes to shopping, meaning we only buy sale items and ALWAYS have coupons. We can beat these prices.
If a family has fallen on hard times such as a job loss or something, I think they can do better by clipping coupons and buying only the necessities.
Our family relied on angle food in2008 & 2009 we had a tough year with adult children at home and in an area of high unemployment for the most part we enjoyed most of the items there may have been a couple little items that were not to everyone’s liking which is common in any household
We found the cost and quality to meet our expectations and quite honestly look forward to continuing our monthly orders in 2010 . Our economic situation has improved and we are finding that costs at the grocery stores have come down however we find that angle food still offers a good product at a reasonable cost and will continue to depend on their service
I am the site director for our church’s AFM program. I also consider myself a savvy shopper as well as one of the most frugal people on earth. In recent months, I have seen AFM’s menu improve pretty dramatically from when I first started personally purchasing. Out of curiosity, I took the September 2009 menu to both Wal-Mart and Krogers, which are the only grociers in my area for at least 10-20 miles. With calculator in hand and time on my side for once, I took the menu and pen to personally compare the menu to the exact price per ounce. My findings show that if you drove to both places to purchase the best price and purchased the lowest-price product from the selections, AFM is still $9+ cheaper. Keep in mind that does not include gas and that different markets will feature different pricing (but I have been told that the Northeast Indiana market is one of the lowest in the nation). You can see the table on our website at http://afmdekalb.org/?p=75.
I have ordered for two months from AF and will continue to order. There have been a few things that some of us did not particularly like, but for the most part, we feel it is a good value. The steaks we got were delicious, as were the hamburger patties. We steamed some of the frozen broccoli and cauliflower tonight from the December box, and it was excellent. My only suggestion to improve would be a few more healthier choices instead of the breaded items (although the hashbrowns fried in a little deep fryer were really really good!). My daughter did not like the cereal … but my husband did.
I agree that by couponing extensively and sale shopping, I could probably match it, but I work two jobs and don’t have that much time. I also have a college student son living away from home, who likes having the food there (and I know that he has some real food..lol).
It is not gourmet top of the line food in all instances, but if I could afford that, I would not be buying from AF … I recommend trying it and seeing if you like it.
I have purchased from AFM for about 6 months. I am pleased with the food we have received. The one month I ordered fruit it did not spoil after a week like the stuff I get at the grocery store. I am pleased with the amount of money I have saved. I would think some people running from store A to Store B to Store C to get all the savings are wasting money on gas. I have not always gotten perfect meat from the grocery store. I personally am tired of all the people putting AFM down and saying eveything they can negative. The most recent box I got in Oct. had the allegy free foods. The chicken fried chicken was really good.
Well, the food is OK, not great, but if you know how to cook, it gets a C, for the effort. It sure helps to get around some tough moments in this economy.
what really gets me, is that the family that runs the ministry, is under investigation, in 2006, Rev. Wingo, his wife, Linda, and their sons Andrew and Wesley, all received massive pay raises. Those salaries jumped $322,755 to more than $2.1 million.
Keep in mind that by contrast, America’s Second Harvest, now known as Feeding America, which had revenues of $663 million, paid CEO Vicki Escarra $390,856 that same year.
I bet you THEY don’t eat the food they distribute, do they ?
The split chicken breasts were split in strange ways, some just rib bone with a half ounce of meat on it. “Obviously, these were the scraps that had been hacked up by the machinery . They weren’t even Chinese restaraunt quality”
Miss Elaineous-I defrosted my “split chicken breasts” last night. The label on th epkg states with back-OK, but not listed in the Aug menu. Not fair. OK, they can substitute as needed. But geez! I agree that this was the weirdest chicken I have ever seen. Necks and some wings still attached, one bag had a random wing and a random neck in it. I deskinned them, removed the necks, wings (soup stock) sprinkled a ton of seasoning and baked off in a covered pan. Rreally boney, fryer chicken mangled up. Sigh-Edible but not what I was expecting. I’ve cooked split ck breasts for over 25 years, I expect a certain, common product. I was very disappointed, and sent an EMAIL to AF, if for nothing else, to “report” this company who may* have previously provided AF with a decent product. I have ordered a Spet box from them 9Perdue Ch breast, and No name listed ck thighs” are on this upcoming menu. Hopefully, it’ll be better.
We ordered AF for the first time this past month (Aug ‘09) We got 2 produce boxes (all fresh, perferct qualtiy) and 2 of the monthly signature boxes. Slowly, we are using the items from the sig. box. Some reviews:
-dessert was a sic thick piece lemon iced lb cake, originally baked for Starbucks-my kids told me that Starbucks gets $3.95/slice-excellent
-Center cut pork chops-very thinnly cut, was injected with lemon flavored solution, which I rinsed off. COoked my reg. crockpot recipe, came out very soft but saltier than usual
-eggs are “med” but n ot all that much smaller than large, no noticible difference when serving scrambled eggs for bfst
-fzn Canadian Stouffer type hamburger and macaroni entree was very good. I searched their website and it appears that this item was discontinued by the manufacturer, probably why AF was able to get it at a good cost. Very happy with it. Not something I would normally buy, was a good lunch for us
-fzn fish sticks were terrible, all breading. Disappointing.
More to try, to be fair. I fon;t always buy national brands so any off brands aren’t viewed negatively by us. I have ordered 2 more produce boxes for Sept, as well as 2 sig boxes. This is helping to stretch my budget, and I am an experienced budget shopper
I just picked up my 1st Angel Food order, and I really wanted to like it. Being unemployed since January, I needed i to be decent.
But, I am so disappointed.
The steaks have a strange texture, smell and taste, when you can eat it. The one I had last night was so full of gristle that it was inedible. The split chicken breasts were split in strange ways, some just rib bone with a half ounce of meat on it. Obviously, these were the scraps that had been hacked up by the machinery . They weren’t even Chinese restaraunt quality!
The pork loin chops were also strange. This is the tenderest cut of pork, and I struggled to get a knife through them. ?????
The vegetables are pretty good, but I could probably do as well at the local Farmer’s market.
I just want to cry. It’s hard enough to come up with the extra for Angel Food (I still need food between order & pick up, so in essence, I pay for food 2x that week), but to get inedible food means I wasted that money. Now I need to buy more food, as most of the Angel Food is inedible.
I’ve read most of the comments above and must say I agree & disagree. In my own experience with AFM, I have certainly been more delighted than let down. I imagine it’s in part that my family lived 30 minutes from a grocery store and we, yes all of us, eat fruits & veggies. Also, we never had the luxury of being super picky. We used what we had until it was gone, period. (Chicken was chicken, then soup or casseroles, etc) This also kept my freezer full of homemade, ready made meals.
I also think it depends on the box you choose. Some lean more towards meats, grains, fresh produce. While others seemed to be more processed food based. My kids ate enough junk foods from school lunches, so I really didn’t want to serve them up corndogs and fries for home meals, which tells me if the school menus are full of processed foods, those are the cheapest meals to slip by the nutrition standards. I packed my kids’ lunches for years, until it was considered uncool, or as I call it laziness on the kids part. They simply don”t wanna dare drag around a healthy homemade lunch. Their hands are too full of cell phones and iPods.
Lastly, when was the last time you had such friendly people assist you in carrying and loading groceries all the way to your car, especially for free? Or, at a store where the average person can actually afford to buy all of their goods?
I like AFM. I see a lot of negative comments, but it has been a good program in our community. I’m able to put food on my table and have enough money still in the budget to help out my lil’ sis with her own box also. Thanks AFM & the host sites!
I ordered Angel Food for 1 year before I finally was introduced to Great Food For All. There is no comparison. The Angel Food was not a good deal because most of it was such poor quality we couldn’t eat it. I actually felt guilty giving it to the dogs – they deserve better. We enjoy the Great Food For All and as for the produce – I go to the local farmer’s market and watch my sales. Produce received from Angel Food was anything but “fresh.” The carrots actually had mold on them. The meat was dripping blood, if it wasn’t already spoiled and begun turning green. And if the quality of food had actually been worth it, there remains the matter of integrity. I’m sorry, but I don’t want my hard earned money being given to the Wingos so they can fly around in their private jets nand take their 2.1 billion dollar salaries. Christian company? Non profit company? Really? By whose standards?
We’ve been using AF for two years. We’re very happy with the quantity and quality.
I like Angel Food. For $30 you get quality groceries worth about $60. That’s a big help. Volunteers distributing the food at the churches are friendly. They give their time just to serve people. The host sites are at http://www.angelfoodministries.com/hosts.asp
If you do not live in a big city where there is an aldi’s you can not get those sales, so the AFM is great.
Does anyone know the coupon code to get an additional discount on the Angel food packages? If so, could you please email it to me at Bonitacrew@comcast.net. It would be much appreciated! I work with developmentally disabled adults, who could REALLY use the additional money off! THANKS.
Our church participates in Angel Food Ministries and people think it’s a good deal. I really don’t agree, but I don’t want to cause trouble. Angel Food’s claim on some of its materials says you are getting almost $60-$65 worth of food for $30. When I shop sales where I live and buy some of my packaged mixes, canned and frozen items at other stores like Aldi, I can get at least as much food of equal (and usually better quality) for the same money. The package sizes of Angel Foods things like pancake mix are ridiculously small; how they say it will feed four people is beyond me. I agree that a lot of the packaged and canned items are the kinds you see in places like the Dollar Store. The dessert item is usually something like a box of generic Little Debbies, sometimes has been a package of individual packages of generic sandwich cookies lately. The peanut butter does not come in a standard 18 oz. size, it is only 12 oz. The boxes of cereal are only 9 oz. I also prefer to select my own meat, and my family does not like frozen meat. Around here you can get nicer meat cheaper than the per pound price of Angel Food, and it does not contain the salt/preservative solution of Angel Foods frozen meat. I see lots of reviews from people who think this is the greatest thing in the world, but I really don’t anyone is doing any favor for those who are already on a limited budget to offer them Angel Food as a solution. It seems to me SOMEONE is making a lot of money off this; I don’t know how they can claim to be ‘nonprofit’. Did they lower the price when gas went back down? NO! Haven’t dairy items fallen in price substantially from where they were last year at this time? They have here. I just don’t get it. As far as the Great Food For All, again, I have seen their literature. This food is definitely not the solution for those on a limited budget, convenience food is not smart money or health-wise.
I checked out the greatfoodforall website, not that it is in my area, they do not offer fresh produce, the only things they have that I would like to see the AFM get is the kids box, there was a lot of stuff my whole family would eat, great for quick dinner’s. Don’t think I would trade the fresh produce for it.
Angel food is a blessing for my family, We have gotten great meat, wonderfull T-bones, My husband loved them, I do not eat much meat, nor do the kids. we get the fruit and Veggie box, and for $22 we could not buy that much fresh produce. We sale shop and add to what we get from the Angel food. We have been getting it for 3 month, and yes they have subsitute once, it was ok we got more fries, the kids where happy. It is a great buy. Not all the food is name brand that is ok. I don’t always buy name brands.
GREAT FOOD FOR ALL is the best! They have Brand quality food at discounted prices! They are in the Midwest, North and are new to the Southeast! You won’t be sorry when you switch. http://www.greatfoodforall.com
We love angel food. The food is good. It has helped us keep food on our table.
MONEYSVR…will you click onto your own link to the website you posted and see that when you say, that the FBI shut down AFM and they red tagged the doors. Also that all employees were sent home is so far from the truth. This is how rumors get started. It is called lying! AFM is still up and running never missed a day of work. Yes employees were sent away BUT that was becauce they had a meeting sch. before the FBI came. They were all at the warehouse in a meeting. So please do tell what you get out of bold face lying? Check your facts before you open your mouth!
FOX 5 IN ATLANTA JUST SAID THAT THE F.B.I JUST SHUT DOWN THE ANGEL FOOD MINISTRIES HOME OFFICE IN GEORGIA. THEY RED TAGGED THE DOOR AND SENT ALL EMPLOYEES HOME. HERE IS A LINK TO THE WEBSITE.
http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/news/FBI_Issues_Warrant_for_Angel_Food_021109
Our church used to distirbute Angel Food, but when their integrity came into question, we switched to another program called Great Food For All. More info is available at http://www.greatfoodforall.com.
We love it. The food quality and quantity is far superior to Angel Food.
my church used to distribute angel food but we dont any longer. the menues never changed,we had recieved food late, we were often not given all of the food we ordered for our community, and once recieved pork loins at our church and every one was THAWED!!!(yuck). that is a health code violation if i ever saw one. so we switched to another food program called “Great food for all.” it is the same price but the food is better and we get more variety of food like fish. their specials are better too with a breakfast box that had sausage patties, hash brown patties, bacon and gourmet coffees. and a kids box for lunches, i also like the “cheesecake factory” cheesecakes we get in the dessert boxes. plus our church gets twice the bennevelance that angel food gave us. check it out man. greatfoodforall.com.
i also read in a newspaper in york, pennsylvania that all the founders of the program took a combined income of 2.5 million dollars. read it for yourself, just google: york, pennsylvania: angel food news.
I too am disillusioned with Angel Foods. Last night for dinner I had what I though was Charbroiled Salisbury Steak, and guess what I ended up with. The mixed vegetables and whipped potatoes. There was NO MEAT to be seen.
As far as the steaks I attemped one time to pan broil and we could not eat them. They were aso full of gristle we had to chuck them. Oh, didI mentioned the fatty pork chops. I had one pack that the fat was so bad I didn’t even attempt to cook them. They were at least 80% fat.
I really feel that the food is below par and that I could do better by watching the sales and stocking up when the price is right . My companion and I have come to the conclusion that the food is not what it should be for the price we paid.
I also think it would be a good buy IF the quality is there, but since the quality is not up to par we will not buy any more.
They advertise this as restaurant quality. Restaurant quality? Not by a long shot!! Most of their food is gross, much of it not worth ever eating.
What they try to pass off as steak is wretched. It’s so full of fat, and grissel ladden, that I had to throw at least half of it away. I can get 400 times better steak for a mere $3 dollars per pound at my local butcher, and that is not even on sale!!
The vast majority of food in my box was dollar store food, that you know is low quality.
All of the meat is filled with a nitrate based seasoning, that makes the meat smell funny, and taste funny too. No thanks, I would rather season my own food.
Had some pork chops from them, it was some of the most foul tasting meat ever, and also jammed pack full of fat. Ick!
I am all for providing the less fortunate with food stuffs, but you would think a church based program would have enough ethics to at least provide healthy wholesome food, rather than this heavily processed nitrate filled garbage.
I was also disappointed with my angel food. Almost all the food could be found at dollar stores for the same price or less and most of it was not a brand name I ever heard of. The worst was the meat. I had both chicken legs and club steaks. Such poor quality that we couldn’t eat them. The steaks didn’t even taste like beef, that’s how bad they were.
I guess everyone has to try it once to see if the hype is true.
Sorry to disagree, but I placed my first order in June also, and I KNOW I can do better, or at very least equal, elsewhere. I might add, however, some of my items were different than yours – they state they reserve the right to subsitute so you may not always get what you ordered. For example, I did not get the pizza, but rather a little bag of pizza rolls that I recently saw for 89 cents at Aldi, the beef patties I rec’d were not the ones you did, they were blister packed and full of fat. The same exact can of baked beans I saw for 33 cents at Ollies. I also did not receive the pudding cups (dessert) rather I got a small bag of cookies that I saw at my regular market for 77 cents, the little pack of pancake mix I could have gotten for 39 cents, the same size bottle of catsup for 59 cents. The eggs were mediums not large as I had assumed (my fault). With the exception of the Borden’s shelf stable milk, most of othe items were of low quality. BTW I ordered the other packages available (I ordered one each) and was disappointed with these also. One was a grillers pack – steaks, etc. They were rather fatty, and not tender. The same week I picked up my order, Safeway had some beautiful steaks on sale (Angus beef) the same cuts for only $3.99 a pound. I definitely would have done better at Safeway. The 10 lb box of chicken tenders was ok, but I could have gotten two 5 lb packs of Tysons that week for about the same price. Armed with the knowledge of the quality of food rec’d, I passed on the July and August menus. I am waiting to see the Sept menu to determine if it is worthwhile. I truly believe a savvy shopper can do better – my opinion.