By Melanie Patterson

The North Jefferson News



At least two Gardendale churches are helping families get good meals at a great price.

Landmark Lighthouse Assembly of God has recently started taking part in the Angel Food program.

Through Angel Food, families can pay $25 to get a box of food that would normally cost three times that much.

Volunteers from The Church Revived in Gardendale actually trained the Landmark Lighthouse volunteers.

The Church Revived is in its third year of the program, while Landmark is in its fourth month.

In addition to Landmark, three other churches also pick up their Angel Food products from The Church Revived, which serves as the Angel Food hub in the area.

“They all pick up from us and serve their communities,” said David Clark. He and his wife Nita are the Angel Food host site directors at The Church Revived.

The churches work with area food distributors to provide the food.

Both churches take orders and distribute the boxes once a month.

The Landmark Lighthouse volunteers are excited about their new ministry.

“We have been so impressed with it. We want to keep doing it,” said Lawanna Neely of Landmark Lighthouse.

“It’s a ministry for us,” she said. “You just never know when people come up what they’ll need.”

Neely said that volunteers from Landmark box up the food and carry it to people’s cars.

“We’ll pray with them if they want prayer,” said Neely. The volunteers also will refer people to other organizations if they have needs that Landmark can’t meet.

She said the volunteers will also invite people to church when they come for their orders. “But we’re not trying to recruit people. We just want to be there for them. It brings a lot of joy to us when we get to do it,” she said.

Angel Food is for anybody. Neely said it is particularly helpful for elderly people who are living on fixed incomes.

The boxes of food always contain staples like rice and beans. They also have several types of meats, fresh vegetables, frozen foods, a dessert item and other items.

“If you were to go to a regular grocery store and buy it, it would cost $70 or $75,” she said.

The church accepts cash, money orders and EBT cards (food stamps) for the boxes of food. No checks will be accepted.

For January, the deadline for orders is Jan. 6 in the church foyer, by telephone or through the mail.

All other months, Landmark takes orders the last week of every month on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12-2 p.m.

Orders can be placed at the church during those times at 2211 Decatur Highway in Gardendale; by telephone at 631-9141; or by mail at LLAG Angel Food, P.O. Box 417, Gardendale, AL, 35071.

For more information, call Landmark Lighthouse Assembly of God at 631-9141.

At The Church Revived, families can order food by calling Clark at 229-7421; visiting the church at 525 Bradley Road; or going to www.thechurchrevived.org.

The Church Revived accepts credit and debit cards on the Web site; and cash, food stamps, checks or money orders in person.

For more information, call Clark at 229-7121 or email him at david@thechurchrevived.org. Or visit the Angel Food Web site at www.angelfoodministries.com.

He said that in January, Angel Food is raising the price from $25 to $30. Clark said it is the first increase in five years.

“It’s still a good value,” he said. “It’s a great ministry and good quality food.”