Discount food program attracting fewer people

Two years ago there were eight churches in Cedar Rapids serving as distribution sites for Angel Food Ministries, a national discount food purchase program. Now there are just two.

Within a 50-mile radius of Linn and Johnson counties, the number of distribution sites has dipped from 20 to 13. Organizers of those sites still in operation say the number of families has been going down, as well.

"There are fewer people using it," said Jason Levenhagen, coordinator of the Angel Food Ministries site in Central City, housed at Central City United Methodist Church. "It's been sort of a slow and steady decline. We expected as the economy declined that more people would get involved, but that didn't happen."

Angel Food Ministries is a food distribution program that allows families to order a box of groceries at a reduced rate, sometimes saving as much as 50 percent. The program is open to everyone, regardless of family size, income, race or religion. There are a variety of menus to order from, all of which are listed on the program's website, angelfoodministries.com, and include meat, fresh and frozen vegetables, staples, eggs and desserts. The website says the food is "all the same high quality one could purchase at a grocery store."

When the program first started in Atlanta, Ga., in 1994 it served 34 families. By 2008 it was serving more than 500,000 families in 32 states. Now there are about 300,000 families in 45 states using the program, said Heather Waldo, a ministry development assistant at the program's main office in Atlanta.

"Unfortunately the recession has affected everybody," Waldo said. "Some people just don't have the money to purchase a box of food."

Monette Waller, coordinator of the Angel Food site at Living Water United Methodist Church, 1155 Grand Ave., in Marion, said the recession has hit that program, too.

"Everyone has their own ideas as to why the numbers are down," she said. "People want free food rather than reduced food. But Angel Food is still a fabulous deal for the food you get."

Central City's Levenhagen said numbers have dropped fairly significantly there, with just 12 to 18 families purchasing food boxes. He said board members have decided if the program starts serving 10 or fewer families for several consecutive months it will likely close.

Julie Anderson, coordinator of the Angel Food program at First Church of the Open Bible, 1911 E Ave. NW, in Cedar Rapids, said volunteers there have also talked about closing the program. The number of families served there has dropped from about 100 to just under 30.

"We can't figure it out," Anderson said. "You'd think in times like these people would take advantage of something like this. It's totally baffled us as to why this is happening."

Waller said Living Water is trying to accommodate those families whose sites have closed, offering satellite distribution sites at apartment complexes and finding other ways to spread the word about the program.

"People are losing sight of the opportunities that are there for them," she said. "It's better than it's ever been. The food is much better."

An FBI raid on the program's offices in February amounted to a dispute between the program's founders and some of its board members. A lawsuit filed by the board members was settled out of court in March.

Waller said she thinks the decline in the program has more to do with the recession and very little to do with the raid.

"The thing we're trying to do is just let more people know about it," she said. "We're trying to reach more people than we ever have."