Well, we went to pick up our Angel Food Ministries budget box and produce box today. Here's the lowdown...
The Good:
The food looks to be of good quality. Hawaiian Punch, Banquet crockpot dinner, lots of frozen meat. No broken eggs. A carton of shelf-stable milk, which is always a nice thing to keep around. Frozen broccoli and a peas-n-carrots mix. Blueberry muffin mix, even though it's the $0.50 version sold at Save A Lot. All around, I'm pleased with the selection and quality of the budget box.
The Bad:
Unfortunately, much of this food is the type that I wouldn't buy at the grocery store. It came with corn tortillas, canned spaghetti sauce, and something dubiously called "chicken fritters" (think fried clam strips, only it's chicken in there instead of clams...hmmmm, reserving judgement until I can taste them). So I'm left with the dilemma of deciding if it's cost-effective to try (and possibly fail with) new recipes. Hey, I'm up for the challenge. Chicken fritters on top of salad? Sounds like a plan....
The Ugly:
I'm really disappointed in the produce box. Of the 4 oranges received, 2 were in an advanced state of moulder. Ditto with 3 of the 6 ears of corn. And there was a putrifying carrot in the sack of carrots. Also, there's a tiny watermelon that looks suspectly too green to enjoy, and the same with the pineapple. My guess is that, once all the waste was tallied, I probably only broke even on the cost of AFM versus Meijer.
Conclusion:
While this service has it's flaws, I'd certainly purchase AFM again, and have already signed up for next month's delivery. However, I'm probably going to call the local AFM site and request the money returned for next month's produce pack.
Oh, and BTW, I was interviewed by the local news affiliate outside the pickup. I'm sure they were digging me dressed in my scrubs (I'd gone there straight from the nursing home) and driving my pizza-logo festooned car. Thet'll make for a terrific public interest story! Ack!
thanks for posting this! i've been considering this for a while and wasn't sure it was that much of a savings.
ReplyDeletemargie
Margie, you're very welcome! I had no idea this little article would garner so much internet traffic - you're certainly not alone in your interest. And, if you're still listening, I'll tell you that I picked up this month's box on Saturday, and I'm even more pleased with AFM. And yes, I did get the produce box again....no problems.
ReplyDeleteHope you have a similar experience...
EMILY, HAVE YOU CONSIDERED ANOTHER FOOD PROGRAM CALLED "GREAT FOOD FOR ALL"? IT WAS STARTED BY PEOPLE THAT USED TO WORK FOR AFM BUT WERE ABLE TO FIX MANY FLAWS IN THE PROGRAM INCLUDING, NOT NEEDING TO BRING YOUR OWN BOX OR LAUNDRY BASKET-INSTEAD THE FOOD IS PRE BOXED, ALSO THE FOOD QUALITY IS TWICE WHAT AFM CLAIMS TO BE. EVERY GREAT FOOD SITE ACCEPTS VISA AND MASTERCARD DEBIT CARDS AND EBT CARDS BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL EQUIPT WITH THEIR OWN POS MACHINES. THEY HAVE BREAKFAST BOXES THAT HAVE ONLY BREAKFAST ITEMS SUCH AS EGG BEATERS, BACON, SAUSAGE, HASH BROWNS AND SUCH. KIDS BOXES WITH FOOD FOR THEIR LUNCHES AND AFTERSCHOOL SNACKS SUCH AS CHICKEN "NUGGETS" (NOT FRITTERS), CORNDOGS, FISH STICKS, RICE CRISPY TREATS AND HOT DOGS. OH, AND JANUARY'S MENUE HAS A CHEESECAKE BOX WITH TWO "CHEESCAKE FACTORY" CHEESECAKES. YOU CAN GO TO GREATFOODFORALL.COM TO CHECK OUT THE CLOSEST HOST SITE TO YOU. OH, AND 90% OF GREAT FOOD HOST SITES USED TO BE ANGELFOOD HOST SITES. FEEL FREE TO CALL SOME AND ASK THEM WHY THEY SWITCHED.
ReplyDelete