“We started attending White Lake Baptist Church last year and Greg (Preihs) announced a committee was thinking of joining,” Kevin says. “Right then and there we said we would head it.”

The church has been a part of the food ministry for the past three months.

Angel Food Ministries is a non-profit, non-denominational organization dedicated to providing food relief and financial support to communities throughout the United States. The program began in 1994 with 34 families in Monroe, Georgia (between Atlanta and Athens), and has grown to serve to more than 500,000 families every month across 44 states. Angel Food Ministries crosses denominational lines and has spread the good news of the gospel of Christ through salvation tracts that are placed in each food order.

It’s a family venture for the Merrills. Renee takes the food orders from families each month and sends in the orders to Angel Food headquarters in Monroe, Georgia. Kevin picks up the orders at a drop off site in Fremont, and their 12-year-old son, Brenden, helps him. The couple also has an 8-year-old daughter, Kalee.

Renee says there are no qualifications or income restrictions for people to purchase food through Angel Food, and it will accept payment from EBT food assistance “Michigan Bridge” debit cards.

Blessings by the box

Angel Food is available in a quantity that can fit into a medium-sized box at $30 per unit. According to Angel Food’s web site, each month’s menu is different than the previous month and consists of both fresh and frozen items with an average retail value of approximately $60. Comparison shopping has been done across the country in various communities using a wide range of retail grocery stores and has resulted in the same food items costing from between $42 and $78.

Generally, one unit of food assists in feeding a family of four for 13-14 meals or a single senior citizen for almost a month, Renee says.

The food is the same quality which is found in most grocery stores. There are no second-hand items, no damaged or out-dated goods, no dented cans without labels, no day-old breads and no produce that is almost too ripe.

Also offered are specialty boxes such as steaks, chicken and pork. Meat is “restaurant grade.”

Kevin says there are frozen dinners which are convenient for senior citizens. “Meals on Wheels” doesn’t deliver every day, he says, “Shut-ins can use these meals when they don’t get meal delivery.”

For people with allergies, Angel Food offers a box of allergen-free foods, including gluten-free.

Additionally, there is no limit to the number of units or bonus foods an individual can receive, and there are no applications to complete.

Everyone is encouraged to participate. Some churches even encourage participants to apply the money they saved to help someone else in need.

Serving Community

Becoming an Angel Food host site was an idea which came out of the church’s Outreach Committee, according to member, Greg Preihs.

“We were looking for ideas to share the Gospel message, and to help people in the community.”

Preihs says people in Angel Food do not have to be church members, and there is no Gospel presentation during ordering and pickup times.

“This is helping us build relationships in the community,” Kevin adds.

Preihs says the church has been happy with the quality of food and the early response to the ministry.

The first month 20 families were served and last month 37 families used the Montague host site.

Other area churches are a part of Angel Food Ministries, including Immanual Congregational on White Lake Drive in Dalton Township.

How to Order

Orders and distribution are handled by church host sites. Orders are collected by the host sites during the first part of each month. These orders are then turned in to the Angel Food main office in Monroe, Georgia, on a predetermined date. Several days later, in the same month, the host site either picks up the food from Angel Food’s 160,000 square feet warehouse to fill the orders on Distribution Day or, because this ministry is growing nationwide, food is delivered to the host site by a pre-arranged delivery mode. In most cases, as long as there is a truck headed in the direction of a community who wants this program and sees its ministry influence, there are no extra transportation costs.

Renee says, in March, she will take orders in person March 13, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. and March 16, 6-7 p.m. Information of the food offered in March will be available. At the time of ordering, the food can be paid for with cash, or the Michigan Bridge Card. No checks will be accepted. The church is located at 5280 Dowling Street, Montague.

Angel Food orders can also be made online through a link from White Lake Baptist Church’s website - www.whitelakebaptistchurch.com.

March’s delivery date is Saturday, March 27. Pickup is in the church’s gym from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.