LIMA - It's 9 a.m. and blistering snow and wind waited until after volunteers finished unloading semitrailers of food but is now here for the hundreds of people picking it up. And Jeff Hunter has already been up for five hours.
It's a typical monthly distribution day for the Angel Food Ministries program, putting top-quality, dirt-cheap groceries on tables.
Thousands of churches across the country participate in the national nonprofit; in Lima three churches, Lima Community Church, Lighthouse Baptist Church and Grace Community Church are running the program. Once a month, people pay $30 for $60 worth of groceries. The program does not have income guidelines but accepts food stamps.
The food lasts about a week for a family of four and much longer for a single person, said Hunter, the coordinator at Lima Community Church. Churches in Spencerville and St. Marys also participate.
This past weekend, about 650 families took advantage of the food, about 400 of them at Lima Community, where a well-oiled machine got folks out with their food in about 10 minutes.
"It's great. It helps us stretch our groceries," said Andrea Phillips. She, her husband and two children like the food. "The chicken strips are better than Applebee's."
The food variety changes month to month, but it's all first-quality, Hunter said. This month included stir-fry vegetables, bacon, eggs and frozen apple pies. Angel Food negotiates contracts with companies such as Tyson and passes on savings. Churches also receive $1 a box of food ordered to use in their ministries as they want.
The culture is contagious. One woman gave Hunter a casserole recipe to share in the newsletter after receiving a sack of sweet potatoes. Many other customers turn into volunteers.
Lanette Shultz, a Lima Community Church member, passed out frozen steaks to folks streaming in with cardboard boxes and laundry baskets. She and her husband have seven children and they also buy the boxes.
"It's the best deal in town," Shultz said. "I volunteer because it's fun; I get to visit with people and help."
On distribution Saturdays, Hunter's day begins about 3:30 a.m. Lima Community is the regional distribution point, so other churches come there to pick up their food.
Passionate about the program, Hunter sees the benefit of helping families stretch their food dollars, especially in this economy.
"I was at a church conference and heard some people whispering about the program in the corner, like it was a secret that their church was getting this food," Hunter said. "I thought, this is for everyone."
They're getting close: 30,000 pounds of food was delivered Saturday and more than 100 families came through the doors of Lima Community Church for the first time.
For details about ordering food, becoming an Angel Food church or volunteering, call 419-223-9646 or visit www.limaangelfood.com.
