'Angels' Feed White Lake Families On a Budget

Through Angel Food Ministries, a nationwide food co-op program, Cedar Crest Lutheran Church has been helping to feed local families on a budget for the past five years.

Linda Knobelsdorf, director of Angel Food at Cedar Crest Lutheran Church in White Lake, has been a member of the church for 42 years and approached her minister with the idea to become a host site for the organization.

“He said it was a good idea, so we got Angel Food in our church,” said Knobelsdorf. The organization, founded in Georgia in 1994 by Pastors Joe and Linda Wingo, offers participants a box of food at a reduced cost. “They’re distributing in 38 states and they’re able to go right to the manufacturers,” she said. “The more quantity that Angel Food Ministry sells, the better deal they can get. You can get a $31 box and you get about $80 worth of food.”

According to Knobelsdorf, about 60 local families come to the church the last Saturday of each month to purchase boxes of food.

“We pick up our food at the First Baptist Church in Davison. We bring it back and set all the food up,” Knobelsdorf said. “Everything comes frozen, so we’re on a time limit.” Boxes can contain anything from meats to fruits and vegetables and everyone is eligible for the program.

“If you eat food, you qualify,” said Knobelsdorf. “It’s run like a food co-op. It’s not for low income; it’s for everybody.” One box from the ministry will feed a family of four for two weeks. 

Cedar Crest Lutheran Church collects cash at the host site and Knobelsdorf mails a check into Angel Food Ministries or participants can pay by credit card on Angel Food’s website. While Knobelsdorf is enriched by the opportunity to help others, she has really enjoyed social interaction with the community through the program. 

“I get to meet new people and introduce Jesus Christ to them,” she said. “For some people, it’s the only socialization they get through the month.” On delivery day, Cedar Crest offers a free lunch and a Bible to participants of the program. “People can stay if they want, but nothing is forced on them.”

Susan Work, co-director, helps keep the ministry going and a youth group from Faith Community Church in Waterford comes to help lift boxes and assist Knobelsdorf and Work. “There are a lot of elderly and handicapped people who come out so it’s very nice for them to offer that.” 

Angel Food Ministries is a non-denominational organization that serves hundreds of thousands of families in the U.S. Cedar Crest is always looking for volunteers to carry boxes and assist on distribution day.

“We never turn down help,” said Knobelsdorf.  “I’ve met people I normally would never have met and the more people we can touch, the more people we can feed. We are small, but we are mighty in our works for the Lord.” 

To find out more about the program, visit angelfoodministries.com.