Angel Food Ministries: These are the two signs in front of Grace Bible Church on Buckingham Rd., which handles the sale of food at near wholesale prices by ordering online at Angelfoodministries.com. Photo by Mel Toadvine

It was the first weekend for the Grace Bible Church in Buckingham to pass out foods ordered by people in the area and in Lehigh through a program known as Angel Food Ministries.

Jackie Webster, who is the coordinator of the program, said 60 customers ordered 93 selections from the menu. And 20 people from the church volunteered to pass out the food. Pastor Richard Blue greeted folks as they entered the back of the church at 4461 Buckingham Rd.

“Things went smoothly,” Webster said.

Two months ago Victory Christian Church in Lehigh Acres stopped the program after a few years of serving the community. Someone at the church said services were halted because they were unable to drive to Fort Myers at 5 to 6 a.m. to pick up food. At one time, it is believed there were between 200 and 300 customers who purchased food through Angel Food Ministries and picked up their orders at the church off of Taylor Lane Extension. Food had previously been brought to the Lehigh site by truck but the prices of gasoline may have caused the deliveries to stop.

Webster said she had not known about the termination of service at the Lehigh church.

“We saw a need in the community and we wanted to help people to save money on food so it was something our church decided to do,” Webster said. “She lives in North Fort Myers and has purchased food for a daughter so she was well acquainted as how the program works.

She was pleasant surprised on Saturday, May 21 when people picked up orders for the month of May. They are open on the selected Saturday morning, usually the third Saturday of the month between 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. After that the food may be given to a needy family if it is not picked up because much of it is frozen.

Webster said she and her assistant Tenee Mondragon were at a church in Fort Myers by 6 a.m. that Saturday morning to pick up all the orders made for pickup at the Buckingham church.

“The food is frozen solid and we urge people to pick it up as soon as possible on Saturday morning so it won’t thaw out,” she said.

The church gets a dollar for each order made by someone who purchases food from the Angel Food Ministries program, but Webster said again that the church is doing this to help people.

“There is a real need out there for people and we saw this as an opportunity for them to buy food for almost half the price as in a supermarket,” she said. Foods are much cheaper than one can buy at any market.

There is no stipulation about your income to be able to make a purchase. Angel Food Ministries is available hundreds of thousands of people all over the country. You are never asked anything about a job or your salary.

Orders can be made online at Angelfoodministries.com or at the church in Buckingham on the third Saturday of every month. You can order online 24/7 by following easy directions.

The site will ask you which location that you will pick up your food and will charge $2 for the use of a debit or credit card and email you a receipt which you can take to the church when you pick up your food.

Families that are have EBT cards, often referred as food stamps, can use that card to buy food at Angel Food Ministries. By using the EBT card online, buyers can get twice as much food for their money than buying food at local outlets.

Angel food Ministries began several years ago by a minister and his wife to help the people in their area and has spread all across the nation with thousands of customers who buy food every month. There are several selections consumers can choose from.

“I’ve been using them for a few months to buy food for a family member,” Webster said. “The food is top quality and very fresh. They offer all types of foods including steaks and other meats and frozen vegetables, and more.

Pastor Richard Blue, the minister at Grace Bible Church said he planned to be at the site when the food is to be picked up, which is usually the third Saturday of the month. He said those who come to pick up food may talk to him about prayer requests.

Webster added that the discount prices for food is an ideal way to help people save money and perhaps later, the church can become a part of their life and “feed them spiritually.”

There will be teenagers at the church to help people take the food to their cars and no tips are expected, Webster said.

“We really want to get it across to everyone that this is a wonderful way to buy foods of great quality for a lot less money than in the stores and especially now that the prices of food have risen.”

Webster said the church posted a message on an big marquee outdoor sign in front of the church announcing they were part of the Angel Foods network and she believes people seeing the sign and word of mouth is what brought about the 60 customers the first time the church participated.

Angel food Ministries lists all the sites in Lee County where food can be picked up but for Buckingham and Lehigh Acres folks, the church on Buckingham Rd. is easier to get to and much closer. The church is on the right on Buckingham Rd., just past Orange River Blvd.

The congregation of the church is composed of about 35 families, Webster said.

“We have the people who will volunteer to help us pass out the food … everyone at the church want to be available to help others and this is an excellent way for everyone to save on their food budgets,” she said.

For more information and/or to order, go to Angelministries.com and follow the directions. You will be shown different “selections” with the prices. Each selection has an illustration of the foods you will be buying.

You will be asked where you will be picking up the food and you will click on Buckingham Bible Church in Fort Myers, even though the site is closer to Lehigh Acres.

To see the June men, go to Angelfoodminisgtries.com. The online order deadline is Sunday, June 19, at 11:59 p.m. Order Pickup is on Saturday, June 25, 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.

You can also call Webster for local ordering information at 910-2726.