Angel Food Ministries describes itself as "a non-profit, non-denominational organization dedicated to providing grocery relief and financial support". While they also claim an objective to "spread the good news of the gospel of Christ through salvation tracts that are placed in each food order," I must admit I've only glanced briefly at the flyers provided. I'm in it for the savings on my monthly food bill.

According to their website, the monthly "signature" box of food which costs $30 contains $42 to $78 worth of food, based on comparison shopping in various retail grocery stores.

I used Lowes Foods To Go for my own quick comparison with the June 2009 Menu, and my total came to about $58. Now Lowes isn't the least expensive place to shop in my hometown, but it's the only local grocery store with the online shopping option, and I selected the least-expensive brands available for my comparison.

The assortment of food in the Signature box changes monthly, but generally contains a variety of meats, vegetable, and pantry items, enough to feed a family of four for a week. In addition to the Signature box, other "Standard" Angel Food options include a Senior/Convenience Box, an Allergen-Free Box, and a Seafood Box. With the purchase of one of the "Standard" boxes, you can also select from various specials which change monthly.

The Convenience box contains frozen dinners and 10 cookies. I tried the convenience box the first time I ordered from Angel Food, and the meals were pretty good. At an average of $2.80 per box, these meals are certainly not over-priced, but months later, we still have two in the freezer that we probably won't eat - they just are not appealing to our personal tastes. When I do purchase frozen meals, I tend to grab the ones on sale for a buck, so this box doesn't work well for me.

I have not tried the Allergen-Free Box, which Angel Food describes as "Processed to eliminate the eight top serious allergens: Peanuts, Soybeans, Milk, Eggs, Fish, Crustacea, Tree Nuts and Gluten (wheat, rye and barley)." At $25, the June box contained 5 pounds of various meat selections (mostly chicken). I never pay $5 a pound for chicken. Never. But if allergies are a concern, this might be a decent deal.

Similarly, I have not tried the Seafood box. In June, the box costs $35 for six pounds of seafood - a little less than $6 a pound. Depending on your tastes and location, this is not a bad price for seafood, but my husband, and I frequently fish at the Outer Banks and catch our own seafood. I only purchase seafood from the grocery store when there is a significant sale.

The monthly specials generally include a "Fresh Fruit and Veggie Box" for $22. This box is harder to compare, price-wise, but it does seem to me I'm getting my money's worth. I haven't run these numbers at Lowes Foods to Go but might get around to adding an update one of these days. For now, following is the June 2009 special:

 1 each  Sweet Vine-Ripened Red Seedless Watermelon
1 each  Large Sweet Vine-Ripened Cantaloupe
2 each  Large Tree-Ripened Mangoes
3 lb.       Premium Tree-Ripened Valencia Oranges
1 lb.       Premium Vine-Ripened Kiwi Fruit (5-6 Kiwis)
4 ears   Premium Super-Sweet Yellow Corn
2 each  Premium Fresh Zucchini Squash
2 each  Premium Fresh Yellow Squash
2 lb.       Premium Sweet Vidalia Onions
1 head  Premium Fresh Green Cabbage
1 head  Premium California Iceberg Lettuce
3 lb.       Premium Idaho Baking Potatoes
1            Bottle Zesty Italian Salad Dressing & Marinade (16 oz.)

The other June 2009 specials include a similar "Latin Flavors" Fresh Fruit and Veggie Box, as well, and several meat options. I have not purchased the special meat boxes so far. As an example, the 7 pound assorted Grill Box is $23, a little more than $3 per pound. While this is certainly not a bad deal for Ribeye steaks, or even the Lean Hamburger steaks, I seldom pay more than $1.50 for pork.

But the money savings is NOT the only benefit of supplementing your grocery food shopping with an order from Angel Food Ministries. I cannot stress enough the convenience factor. My pickup location is less than five minutes from my house. In less than 15 minutes, I'm home and unloading my stash instead of pushing a cart through the grocery store. And the volunteers are always friendly and cheerful - beating the grocery store employees as far as customer service is concerned - hands down.

I also enjoy the variety - particularly with the Fruit and Veggie box. The selections always include things I would not normally purchase for myself - like this month's kiwi and mangoes. I used to stay in a grocery shopping rut - planning the same menus week after week. Using Angel Food Ministries has helped me spice up our meals a bit. The website also has a nice recipe section.

Angel Food is available to everyone - no qualifications, minimums, income restrictions, or applications. The only catch is that you have to buy one of the Standard boxes in order to purchase any of the specials. Depending on the menu, I sometimes purchase more than one of the standards. If you know anyone struggling financially (and who doesn't these days!), you can always order an extra box for a friend or family member in need with the money you save compared to grocery store shopping.