62 Volunteers from Our Lady of Victory Parish in Beeville showed up in the early morning hours of Saturday, March 28 to pick-up, package and distribute groceries to those who had ordered and purchased their packages of groceries through Angel Food Ministries about 2 weeks prior to delivery day.

St. Thomas Aquinas wrote, "An angel can illuminate the thought and mind of man by strengthening the power of vision." A local ministry, Angel Food, is carrying out a vision of conquering hunger at the local level. Volunteers in south Texas believe that feeding the hungry is more than a nice idea; it's a vision that can be achieved.

Nicole Segovia has been the director of the Angel Food group at St. Joseph Parish in Corpus Christi since 2007. Recently the ministry, which is part of a national program, has spread to Catholic churches in the Beeville and George West areas. Churches of other faith traditions participate as well.

"When Father Tom Goodwin, pastor of St. Joseph Church, cleared us to use the church I was told that we had become the first Catholic Church in Texas that had become a distribution site," said Segovia.

"Angel Food is not a free program but it is a program to extend your money," said Segovia. "And we wish more people would learn about it, people like myself who are retired."

How it works is that for $30, an individual or family can purchase a box of food that would be worth over two times that amount if purchased at a traditional grocery store. The contents of the standard box, as well as bonus boxes, are advertised each month along with order deadlines and pick-up dates.

"It is a ministry, because all the work is done by volunteers," Segovia said. These volunteers come to the scene by taking orders, picking up boxes and delivering them to homes as needed. Some contribute by buying boxes for those in their communities who need the food.

At St. Joseph the ministry falls under the Works of Mercy group. The name was easy to take on because Segovia explained it simply reflects "everything the church has taught us to do in the Seven Acts of Works of Mercy."

The Works of Mercy group usually takes up to 100 orders a month. The main drop station is First United Methodist Church. Knights of Columbus at St. Joseph rent a U-haul, pick-up the food at the main drop station and bring it back to St. Joseph for volunteers to distribute in the driveway and parking lot of the church.

Volunteers come from a variety of places. "We get about 10 to 15 young people from John Paul II, and boy scouts from St. Patrick who help out on many Saturday distribution days," said Segovia.

"We try to streamline the sales up to the last possible week from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and then on that last Monday from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday is the day that most people come in to pay."

Payments must be made in cash, a Lone Star card, or money order made out to St. Joseph. "Many people come with checks and get discouraged and don't come back," said Segovia.

Recently, two other Catholic churches, Our Lady of Victory in Beeville and St. George in George West became host sites for area residents who need to stretch their monthly paycheck to get through tough economic times.

There were over 62 volunteers at Our Lady of Victory Church in Beeville for the March distribution date. Angel Food Director, Mary Arredondo has made volunteering fun by turning the distribution day into a social event with volunteers cooking and serving themselves coffee and breakfast in the bingo hall across from the church.

"Most of the volunteers are from Our Lady of Victory Church with the exception of one who is from St. Joseph," said Mary Arredondo. "This is only our second time to do this so volunteers are many and very happy to help." Volunteers showed up on Saturday at about 5:30 a.m. to pick up the food at Word of Life Church and then brought it to Our Lady of Victory Bingo Hall for the volunteers to package and distribute.

There were about eleven deliveries made to people unable to pick up there own groceries: a person in a wheelchair; someone who had just had surgery; a blind man and a single mom.

The other seven were from La Amistad Adult Day Care and Activity Center in Beeville. Felipita Bastida, owner of Day Care, personally hand delivered Angel Food groceries to 7 of her 132 clients. She said that clients get an average of about a 50% savings on groceries each month.

In George West Angel Food director, Kathy Campbell, had been getting groceries for her sister from another church in town that used Angel Food, but when that church stopped the program she decided to start her own ministry at the church where she belongs, St. George.

Campbell has about 5 volunteers including herself and her husband. She said that only one volunteer is needed per ten units of groceries. "St. George has been providing Angel Food for 4 months officially, because it takes a couple of months to get the application approved. We get our groceries from Beeville, because we only have about 50 orders a month."

The Campbell's use their truck to pick up the food in Beeville and bring it to George West to be packaged and distributed. When they get up to 200 orders, Angel Food will deliver the groceries directly to St. George. "We've had orders from people in Mathis and Sinton who are looking for a closer loca tion than Beeville for a distribution site," said Campbell.

Campbell, who receives a monthly update from the Angel Food founders in Georgia, said that Angel Food Ministries has helped about 560,000 families nationally during the month of March.

According to Nicole Segovia from St. Joseph Church in Corpus Christi the very poor do not use Angel Food, because they are living on more of a day-to-day existence, "but the Food Stamp people do try to send them our way."

Times may just keep getting tougher and Angel Food may not be the solution for everybody.

"We need people who are buying groceries through Angel Food Ministries to get the word out that we are here for those who need it," said Segovia.

"We need the cooperation of the church, to the spread the word about Angel Food so each sponsor church who has the program can ask all their parishioners for money to buy boxes for the ones that can't afford it.

To learn more about Angel Food Ministries go to www.angelfoodministries.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who qualifies? Everyone, there are no applications or qualifications to order Angel Food.

Where does the food come from? The food is "restaurant grade" meats, frozen vegetables, fruits, dairy products, etc. which we acquire through our involvement with only the best producers/vendors of high quality, "name brand" foods. Never "seconds" or "day old" type products are involved.

Can we receive more than one unit or special? Yes, you can order as many regular units as you would like. To receive a special box you must first order a regular unit.

Where do I order and pick up my food? See ad on page 10.

How does my church become a host site? You may call in to our offices at 1-888-819-3745 or go to www.angelfoodministries.com to request more information. Fill out the form and submit it. Angel Food will then send you a package in the mail with information you will need to apply.

What if there is not a host site in my area? Angel Food Ministries is growing rapidly. They hope to soon be able to serve the entire U.S.A. Please contact their offices and speak with our Marketing Department for further details.

What does it cost my church to sign up to become a host site? There is a one time $50 application fee which covers all of your training materials. If for some reason your church is not approved you will be refunded this fee. Once you become a host site Angel Food Ministries donates $1 per regular unit to the host churches benevolent fund. Since its inception, Angel Food Ministries has contributed over $12 million into host benevolence funds.

How long after applying until we are able to order? You must receive a "Start Up Package" from Angel Food Corporate before you can place your first order.

How can our church get direct delivery? It depends on many things. location, cost etc. Please contact our Logistics Department for more information.

How many volunteers will we need? You will need about 1 volunteer for every 10 to 12 units.

What are we to do in case we have breakage or shortages? Angel Food Ministries adds an extra unit which is called a PJ add on to every order of 100 units purchased. The extra unit is to cover any shortages or damaged items that may occur during shipment. There are 17 to 18 items per unit and all items can be used to cover any shortages.

Where does the food come from? The food is "restaurant grade" meats, frozen vegetables, fruits, dairy products, etc. which we acquire through our involvement with only the best producers/vendors of high quality, "name brand" foods. Never "seconds" or "day old" type products are involved.