Church joins network that provides low-cost groceries.

MEMBERS OF the Suttons Bay-Leelanau County Rotary Club
donated a car load of non-perishable food items to the Leelanau
Christian Neighbors Food Pantry in Suttons Bay. The food was
collected at last week’s Rotary Club luncheon. Rotary’s Good
Works committee is organizing several monthly collections to
benefit the Leelanau community. Pictured (from left) are
Rotarians Bob Maynard, Bill Grosskopf and Doug Glover.

The Leelanau Community Church, with help from neighbors and friends, has joined a nationwide network to provide high-quality, low-cost groceries for anyone who wants to participate.

The network, Angel Food Ministries, is a non-profit, non-denominational organization that was started in Monroe, Ga., in 1994 and has grown to serve tens of thousands of families across the country.

Don Ranville, a Leelanau Community Church member and helper with the Angel Food program, said the congregation joined the network in September and conducted a trial run with its members for November.

“We wanted to see how it would go before getting the rest of the community involved,” he said.

For $25, participants receive a “unit of food” that consists of meat, chicken, fresh vegetables, fruit, and bread products to help feed a family of four for a week, or for one person for a month. Ranville said the products offered are at least the same quality of food sold through grocery stores. Comparison shopping done across the nation shows the value of the food provided in the $25 base unit runs from $42 to $78, the network said.

“There are no second-hand items. There are no dented cans or produce that is too ripe, this is all very good quality food,” he said.

People may buy as many units as they want. Once a base unit is purchased, people may buy “specials.” Both the base unit and specials change each month.

“For December, we have a ‘giant meat combo box’ for $18 that includes pork chops, beef ribs, ribeye steaks and other meat items not included in the regular box,” Ranville said. Other specials for December include a 10-pound box of breaded chicken tenders, a holiday meat and cheese gift box, and an assorted fruit box.

Ranville, along with distribution director Jeff Lingaur of Omena, is putting fliers about the program in grocery and convenience stores around the county. The fliers explain the program, and give a menu listing the base unit and specials for the month. On the back of the menus are order forms and contact information for ordering.

“We are putting the menus in the stores to make it easier for people to see what the program is about and to place orders. It’s probably a lot easier for someone in Empire to get one of the menus, fill out the order form on the back, and mail it to the church rather than drive up here (to Lake Leelanau),” Lingaur said.

The deadline for ordering for December is Dec. 2. The food will be distributed on Dec. 15 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the church located at 245 S. Lake Leelanau Dr., Lake Leelanau. Any orders not picked up by 12:30 p.m. on the 15th will be given to a needy family in the area. Lingaur said those picking up orders should bring one large box or container for each unit of food ordered.

Ranville said while Angel Food is meant to help those who are having difficulties feeding their families, it is not a give-away program. “There are no applications to fill out or qualifications that people have to meet, but people do have pay for the food they receive,” he said.

Since Angel Food is a designated 503c non-profit organization, and food purchased to donate to someone in need may be fully tax-deductible as a charitable donation. Visit www.angelfoodministries.com for more information, or call Leelanau Community Church at 256-7838 during business hours.