Food program brings savings
Information meeting set for January 30 at 5:00 p.m.
at the Tyson Library

Wanda English Burnett - Editor

If you’re looking for a way to stretch your food dollars, this might be a solution to consider - placing an order with Angel Food Ministries, which is now being offered in Ripley County.

“People in our church are really excited about this project,” noted Paula Goodpaster, who with her husband, Frank, head the congregation at The Upper Room Fellowship, located on State Road 48 near Osgood. They have partnered with the Community Church of Greensburg and Angel Food Ministries to give people in this area the opportunity to purchase quality food at affordable prices.

The project, while new to the area, has been in operation for 11 years. Angel Food Ministries is headquartered out of Monroe, Georgia and offers the food distribution in 32 states.

Here’s how it works. You can place an order for food today, January 25, from 1-4 p.m. at the Ripley County Fairground Trustees Food Store, and from 4-7 p.m. Friday, January 26. This will be for the February 10 distribution, which can be picked up from 10:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at the same location. Orders can also be placed by mail by sending your request and payment to: The Upper Room Fellowship, 833 E. State Road 48, Osgood, IN 47037. However, it does have to reach that facility by the 7:00 p.m. deadline on Friday, January 26.

For $25.00, you receive approximately $42-$78 worth of food. There is a set menu for each month with “lots of meat” included, according to Goodpaster. She noted that the food is good quality and well worth the money. A “unit” of food, which sells for $25.00, is designed to feed a family of four for one week or a single person for one month, according to information passed out to potential buyers.

The February menu includes: breaded chicken tenders, St. Louis Style ribs, individually quick frozen chicken thighs, ground beef, breaded chicken breast filets, beef burritos, smoked sausage, taco shells, pinto beans, rice, corn muffin mix, shoestring french fries, sugar snap pears, vegetable, breakfast cereal, eggs, and a pie. With the purchase of a regular unit (above mentioned food), you can then purchase specials. The February specials include steaks, chicken, and meat combo units for $18.00 each and gourmet coffee.

An information meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday, January 30 at 5:00 p.m. at the Tyson Library in Versailles. Orders will not be taken at that time, but questions about the program will be answered and information dispersed about how the program works. Everyone is invited to learn more about Angel Food Ministries and how they can save on their grocery bill. There is no application process or qualifications. Anyone can order the food. Everyone qualifies!

Volunteers are needed to help make the ministry a success. Goodpaster noted that various churches have already come together to help out. “It really means a lot to have the churches in the community working together,” Goodpaster noted, adding, “together - we can make a difference.”
Anyone interested in volunteering either to unload a truck, unpack food, carry food boxes for those picking up food, check off the list of those picking up food, set up tables or distribute food items, should contact the Goodpasters at 852-2223.

Goodpaster continued by saying that she has been working with volunteers from the Community Church at Greensburg where they now process 1400 orders a month. “We’ve been learning from them how the system works,” she noted. While the Greensburg location is set up to take food stamps, Ripley County’s facility isn’t at that point yet. “But, we can help people get the food with food stamps by referring them to Greensburg,” noted Goodpaster.

Right now the Ripley County group is taking their third order and had 80 orders last month. They want everyone to know about the savings.

The new ministry taken on by the Goodpasters follows the teaching of their church to “help others.” They are excited about the opportunity to share the bounty and hope people will come to the informational meeting to learn more about the project..

 

 

 

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