Posted on Thu, May. 15,
2008
Program offers online payment for food
Individuals can now order Angel Food online using their debit or
credit cards, said Angie Ashurst, director of Hearts of Compassion
Ministries, Inc.'s Freedom Center in Myrtle Beach.
A small convenience fee is charged for each order.
Angel Food Ministries is a nationwide program that offers low
cost food relief to anyone in need. Quality boxes of food are
available for $30, Ashurst said.
The online service is being offered to free up people's available
cash that can be used for other expenses and to keep people from
making a trip to a site to place their order due to increased gas
prices, she said.
There are at least five Angel Food sites located along the Grand
Strand.
For more information, please visit Angel Food's web site at
www.hcmusa.org.
Posted on Thu, Mar.
22, 2007
Angel Food sweetens hard lives
Organization provides supplies of food at low
costs in both Carolinas
By Janelle Frost
The Sun News
Volunteer Dayna Barr
(left) helps volunteer Keith Courville, 17, load a box of food for
clients during the Project Angel Food distribution at Foundations
Forever International Church in Little River on
Saturday.
Horry County resident Marie Colton, a single,
senior citizen on a fixed income, knows what it means to make a
dollar stretch.
That's why she says the Angel Food Ministries,
a program that makes groceries available to people at low costs, is
something many people should should take advantage of.
"I think our neighborhoods need it," Colton,
69, said.
Area organizers for Angel Food say the program
is available to anyone single parents, senior citizens on a fixed
incomes, and others struggling to make ends meet.
Officials from other local agencies that
distribute food say it is another resource of food assistance to
help in the fight against hunger.
Angel Food, which has centers in Horry County
and Brunswick County, N.C., recently opened a new center in Little
River.
Program officials say the number of people
they serve grows each month.
"As the population grows, the need will
continue," said Freedom Center Director Angie Ashurst.
Programs in Brunswick County and Horry County
are hosted by The Hearts of Compassion Ministries' Freedom Center,
off of S.C. 544 in the Socastee area.
Ashurst said the center provided groceries to
about 140 families when it opened five months ago. This month they
helped 800 families.
The Brunswick Baptist Resource Center provided
food to 196 families this month, compared with 86 families in
February, according to Jeff Gibby, director of mission at Brunswick
Baptist Association.
Foundations Forever International Church
provided groceries for its first time this month to 40 families,
mainly church members. The church hopes to reach 1,000 families in
need each month by June.
On Saturday, host sites in the area -
including the Brunswick Baptist Resource Center in Brunswick County,
N.C. - distributed groceries to more than 1,000 families.
Angel Food Ministries is a national,
non-profit, non-denominational organization that works through
churches and community organizations to provide grocery relief for
people.
Each month, on specified distribution days,
individuals can buy a box of groceries for $25.
The food includes a variety of meats, fruits,
frozen vegetables and dairy products, and usually has a retail value
of about $65.
According to Angel Food Ministries, a box of
food should feed a family of four for a week or will feed a senior
citizen living alone for one month.
Area host sites
Foundations Forever International Church, 3727
Sea Mountain Highway, Little River, 390-3342
Hearts of Compassion Ministries' Freedom
Center, No. 5 Big Block Business Center, Surfside Beach,
215-1469.
Brunswick Baptist Resource Center, 1041 Old
Ocean Highway, Bolivia, N.C., 910-754-7979.
Posted on Thu,
Feb. 22, 2007
Angel
Food program a big hit
By George Geiger
For The Sun News
The Hearts of Compassion Ministries and
the Freedom Center held their fourth monthly distribution of
low-cost food packages to about 400 participants on Feb.
10.
The number of participants doubled from
January as word of the Angel Food program got out. Food is purchased
from manufacturers in large volume, eliminating the middlemen and
extra costs, for many areas of the country, such as Myrtle Beach.
Anyone can participate in the program, and each month, there is a
new menu. Orders must be placed and paid for in advance.
A standard package costs $25 and has a
retail value of about $65. Angie Ashurst, director of the Freedom
Center, said, "Any foods that are not picked up are given to
prearranged charitable organizations; this month's is Citizens
Against Spouse Abuse."
"All those working today are volunteers,
and only $1 per $25 package of food goes to help defray overhead
costs," said the director of Hearts of Compassion Ministries, David
Johnson of Surfside Beach.
"We are looking for corporate sponsors to
help with the program; it looks like we are going to have to expand
our facilities. We also partner with churches that place orders for
families that may not have the financial means or
transportation."
Volunteer Lynn DeVincentes of Socastee,
said, "I am a student at Horry-Georgetown Technical College, and I
think this is a great opportunity for people that are struggling
economically, especially a lot of single mothers and
others."
Orders for next month will be taken March
3 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Freedom Center in the Big Block
Business Center off U.S. 544. For information, call 215-1469, or
visit www.hcmusa.org.
Angel
Food Ministry Helps Families Make Ends Meet
aired Saturday,
Feb 10, 2007 - 08:16 PM
Elise
Olson
Reporter
for News 13
People on fixed and low incomes find in
hard to make ends meet, let alone have enough money for
groceries.
Magnolia Gore is the mother of two
teenagers. Every month she finds it difficult to make ends meet. But
with the help of Angel Food Ministries, she can pay her
bills.
Gore says, "That helps you out in the
middle of the month and the end of the month. Because basically when
people get paid at the first of the month, they pay their bills and
in the middle of the month they buy their groceries. Towards the end
of the month you be running a little short and a little low. This
helps you out."
A large box of food that normally costs
$75, costs $25 through Angel Food ministries. On top of this,
everyone is eligible for the food.
David Johnson is the executive Director
of Angel Food Ministries. He says there was a real need for the
program in Horry County.
Johnson says, "What we have found,
there are a lot of single parents on fixed incomes or low income, a
lot of senior citizens are on fixed incomes.”
Johnson says some people are skeptical
of how the food tastes. But Gore says that's the best
part.
Gore says, "It's real good. Oh my God.
The chicken was so tender. The chicken breast that they have. I
could have had a whole bag myself it was so good."
Gore says she plans to return next
time, maybe with an extra box.
Anyone interested in participating must
place orders at least two weeks before distribution.
The next distribution is March
17-th.
The freedom center is located off Big
Block Road in Surfside Beach.
Posted on Thu, Jan. 25, 2007
Angel Food Ministries helps area
families
By Kim Hughes
For The Sun News
Are you looking for ways to stretch your grocery budget without
clipping coupons or running around town to compare prices? Consider
taking advantage of Angel Food Ministries, a money-saving program
that provides a convenient way to manage both your grocery list and
your budget.
A nonprofit, nondenominational organization, Angel Food
Ministries got its start in 1994 with 34 families in Monroe, Ga.
Since then, it has expanded to serve thousands of families across
the United States. The Myrtle Beach area program is run out of the
Freedom Center, just off S.C. 544 near the Surfside Beach area
Wal-Mart.
Angie Ashurst, director of the Freedom Center, said the program
aims at filling in the gaps for those people who may bring in too
much money to qualify for government assistance but who aren't
making enough to support themselves and their families. "We want to
assist those people that are not being served by the community."
Ashurst said the program is ideal for single parents, the working
poor and senior citizens on a fixed income. Although these groups
definitely benefit, the program is open to everyone - there are no
applications or eligibility requirements.
The Myrtle Beach area food distribution program began in November
and has been averaging about 170 families a month. Ashurst said the
goal is to build that number up to 300 families each month. Without
enough participants, she said, it won't be cost-effective to keep
the program in Horry County.
Ashurst said she's been trying to spread the word through local
media, including spots on local TV and radio public service
announcements. Although it has been somewhat of a challenge getting
the word out, word of mouth has played a large role in bringing in
more participants. Additional obstacles in getting people to take
advantage of the program, said Ashurst, are people's skepticism
about charities, the belief that there must be a "catch" and, for
some people, pride.
For Candice Cook, a single mother of three kids, ages 13, 8 and
7, the program has been a lifesaver. Cook, who home-schools her
children, attends school herself and works temporary jobs, said the
program definitely has made her money go further. A Conway resident,
she found out about the program through her home-schooling
group.
"I use it because it makes sense for the budget," she said. "It
helps things stretch definitely. It's a good deal." Cook said the
generous portions in each unit have even allowed her to share extra
food with others.
The way the program works is simple. Each month, participants
have the opportunity to buy a $25 "unit" of groceries on a specified
day. Exactly what that basic unit will include varies from month to
month, but buyers will know in advance what they are purchasing. The
food includes a variety of both frozen and fresh items, and usually
has a retail value of about $70. Along with each order comes a
publication titled "The Servant," which includes religious and
inspirational messages and the menu for the next month.
There are no restrictions on the number of basic units that can
be purchased by an individual or group each month. According to
Angel Food Ministries, one unit of food should feed a family of four
for one week or a single senior citizen for one month.
The next opportunity to buy food through the Angel Food
Ministries is Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Orders must be pre-paid
by cash, money order or food stamps.
The food will be distributed Feb. 10 and must be picked up
between 1 and 4 p.m.
For more information about the Angel Food Ministries program,
call the Freedom Center at 215-1469 or go to www.hcmusa.org.
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