Angel Food Ministries
Encyclopedia
Angel food ministries was a non-profit organization
that provides a monthly food service to over 500,000 families. Angel Food ministries is a nondenominational program located in 43 states
across the United States of America and the District of Columbia. with an altogether total of 5,200 locations.. There are 473 distribution centers listed in Georgia
and more than 1,400 concentrated in Texas
, Missouri
, Tennessee
, and Pennsylvania
... The headquarters is located in a 16000 square feet (1,486.4 m²) warehouse in Monroe, GA. They have 220 full-time employees and 500 temp workers. The program buys in bulk at discount price and then sells the food in family sized quantities, while spreading the word of Christ
. The food ministry has delivered $120 million in direct food assistance to families and nourished over 22 million Americans
. Angel Food’s mission is the promise of fresh food and great value nutrition.
at a local church the Emmanuel Praise Center in Monroe, GA.
, vegetables, and fruits; each box can contain a pamphlet concerning word of Christ
. There are specialty boxes that can be ordered such as gluten free, specialty meats, after-school, fresh produce and prepackaged heat and serve meals. Each box contains enough food to last a family of four for about a week and a senior citizen
about a month. The signature boxes range from thirty one dollars to fifty one dollars as of March 2011. The boxes can also be purchased with food stamps with Angel Food Ministries working with the USDA. There is no set amount on how many boxes that can be ordered, nor is it based on income. There are no applications or qualifications needed to be able to purchase a box.
for Angel Food Ministries. Angel Food Ministries has plans of launching this effort across the country
in December
.
For holiday program, people can buy a Thanksgiving
or Christmas
box that will be provided for free to the families of people who are serving overseas, or armed service members who are readjusting to life. The boxes are provided by people who buy a box of food designated for a family of a U.S. service man or woman serving today. The organization is extending the benefit to non-military families. The program will continue after the holiday season is over, with regular $30 boxes available for donating.
At the peak of the oil spill
crisis in the Gulf of Mexico
, they fed 40,000 people in Pensacola, Florida
, for free on one day.
of $96 million dollars and $17 million in expenses. Tax records from that year show the Wingos and two of their sons earned a combined total in excess of $2.1 million for leading the ministry, up from just less than a combined $323,000 a year earlier. Their combined salaries dipped to $501,472 in 2007, records showed.
A lawsuit filed February
2009 in a Georgia Superior Court in Walton County, alleged that the Wingos used the nonprofit organization to enrich themselves from food vendors and by rerouting money to themselves through their church, Emmanuel Praise Center. Craig Atnip and David Prather, two Angel Food Ministry board members filed the suit against the Wingos, and the suit asked a judge to bar Joe and Linda Wingo and their two sons from the property of the organization and to protect the assets of the ministry. The suit alleged that the Wingos enriched themselves by at least $2.7 million, which includes $600,000, which was allegedly given to the Wingos for a "housing allowance," directed from Angel Food Ministry to their church. The lawsuit also claimed that the food buyer for Angel Food Ministry, Andy Wingo, habitually took kickbacks as part of transactions with food vendors and that at least one family
member knew about it. The suit also alleged that Joe Wingo set up a North Carolina
corporation to buy a personal jet
and then leased the jet to Angel Food Ministries for a profit of $10,000 a month. The suit additionally alleged the Wingos used the Angel Food credit cards and spent more than $850,000 for personal possessions. Angel Food Ministries offered its full cooperation in the investigation and voluntarily agreed to provide any records the government wished to examine. The two board members who sued the nonprofit and the Wingos have came to an agreement in Walton County, Ga., Superior Court. The agreement approved by the court, the Wingos' company credit cards will be canceled, the nonprofit will undergo a forensic financial audit, and Joe Wingo will sign over to Angel Food a company he owns that was renting the corporate jet to the nonprofit organization. The two board member who filed the suit agreed to leave the organization as a part of the deal and Angel Food must pay $45,000 in Atnip's and Prather's legal fees. They will retain standing to take any actions when the forensic audit
comes in. Joe Wingo and his son, Wesley, will retain their roles at the agency. During the hearing, attorneys said Linda Wingo left her position last year and son Andy left in late 2007.In their June settlement, both sides agreed the audit would be kept under seal of the court.
Angel Food's Feb. 1 filing also claims the defendants have complied with all other provisions of the June 19 court order, which was modified slightly on Oct. 1.
Angel Food, the filing said, has eliminated all personal use of Angel Food credit cards by the Wingos; arranged for Angel Food to lease an airplane owned by North Carolina Aviation Leasing from under supervision of the Angel Food board, with no personal use allowed; paid Atnip $282,693 and continues to pay him $13,461.54 twice a month; and paid plaintiffs' counsel $45,000.
Messages left for attorneys representing Atnip and Prather were not returned.
Agents from the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service searched the Angel Food headquarters last February and copied files, but government sources have released no news about any investigation since.
As of September 23rd 2011 Angel food ministries shut down operations after 17 years of operation citing the economic difficulties expressed earlier in the month.
"At this time we regret to inform you that we have not found a solution that will allow Angel Food Ministries to continue to distribute food on a monthly basis and have decided to cease operations."
It is now suggested that former employees and partners are working together to create a replacement program for the defunct ministry.
Former employees and partners were unable to re-organize and have given up efforts. Several other companies have formed and are running at this time.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
that provides a monthly food service to over 500,000 families. Angel Food ministries is a nondenominational program located in 43 states
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
across the United States of America and the District of Columbia. with an altogether total of 5,200 locations.. There are 473 distribution centers listed in Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
and more than 1,400 concentrated in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, and Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
... The headquarters is located in a 16000 square feet (1,486.4 m²) warehouse in Monroe, GA. They have 220 full-time employees and 500 temp workers. The program buys in bulk at discount price and then sells the food in family sized quantities, while spreading the word of Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
. The food ministry has delivered $120 million in direct food assistance to families and nourished over 22 million Americans
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Angel Food’s mission is the promise of fresh food and great value nutrition.
Founders
Joe and Linda Wingo founded Angel Food Ministries in 1994 in Monroe, GA. They started the half charity and half business to help 34 families struggling financially by dispensing 34 boxes off the back porch of his home when numerous industrial plants closed in their community. Joe Wingo is a pastorPastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
at a local church the Emmanuel Praise Center in Monroe, GA.
Boxes
Angel Food Ministries each month creates a variety of different sized boxes of food for about half of what it would cost to purchase at a grocery store. The boxes can be ordered online or through the churches that the boxes are picked up at once a month. The food items in the box change from month to month with a wide variety of meatMeat
Meat is animal flesh that is used as food. Most often, this means the skeletal muscle and associated fat and other tissues, but it may also describe other edible tissues such as organs and offal...
, vegetables, and fruits; each box can contain a pamphlet concerning word of Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
. There are specialty boxes that can be ordered such as gluten free, specialty meats, after-school, fresh produce and prepackaged heat and serve meals. Each box contains enough food to last a family of four for about a week and a senior citizen
Senior citizen
Senior citizen is a common polite designation for an elderly person in both UK and US English, and it implies or means that the person is retired. This in turn implies or in fact means that the person is over the retirement age, which varies according to country. Synonyms include pensioner in UK...
about a month. The signature boxes range from thirty one dollars to fifty one dollars as of March 2011. The boxes can also be purchased with food stamps with Angel Food Ministries working with the USDA. There is no set amount on how many boxes that can be ordered, nor is it based on income. There are no applications or qualifications needed to be able to purchase a box.
Programs
No Child Goes Without Project is a program to feed about 1,700 children for a month through food boxes. Each box of food cost $24 and can be donated online and through churches that sponsor the program. The boxes were distributed to twelve low-income schools. This was a first for distributing food to schoolSchool
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
for Angel Food Ministries. Angel Food Ministries has plans of launching this effort across the country
Country
A country is a region legally identified as a distinct entity in political geography. A country may be an independent sovereign state or one that is occupied by another state, as a non-sovereign or formerly sovereign political division, or a geographic region associated with a previously...
in December
December
December is the 12th and last month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of seven months with the length of 31 days.December starts on the same day as September every year and ends on the same day as April every year.-Etymology:...
.
For holiday program, people can buy a Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
or Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
box that will be provided for free to the families of people who are serving overseas, or armed service members who are readjusting to life. The boxes are provided by people who buy a box of food designated for a family of a U.S. service man or woman serving today. The organization is extending the benefit to non-military families. The program will continue after the holiday season is over, with regular $30 boxes available for donating.
At the peak of the oil spill
Oil spill
An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially marine areas, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term is mostly used to describe marine oil spills, where oil is released into the ocean or coastal waters...
crisis in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, they fed 40,000 people in Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
, for free on one day.
Lawsuit
In 2006, the ministry reported revenueRevenue
In business, revenue is income that a company receives from its normal business activities, usually from the sale of goods and services to customers. In many countries, such as the United Kingdom, revenue is referred to as turnover....
of $96 million dollars and $17 million in expenses. Tax records from that year show the Wingos and two of their sons earned a combined total in excess of $2.1 million for leading the ministry, up from just less than a combined $323,000 a year earlier. Their combined salaries dipped to $501,472 in 2007, records showed.
A lawsuit filed February
February
February is the second month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the shortest month and the only month with fewer than 30 days. The month has 28 days in common years and 29 days in leap years...
2009 in a Georgia Superior Court in Walton County, alleged that the Wingos used the nonprofit organization to enrich themselves from food vendors and by rerouting money to themselves through their church, Emmanuel Praise Center. Craig Atnip and David Prather, two Angel Food Ministry board members filed the suit against the Wingos, and the suit asked a judge to bar Joe and Linda Wingo and their two sons from the property of the organization and to protect the assets of the ministry. The suit alleged that the Wingos enriched themselves by at least $2.7 million, which includes $600,000, which was allegedly given to the Wingos for a "housing allowance," directed from Angel Food Ministry to their church. The lawsuit also claimed that the food buyer for Angel Food Ministry, Andy Wingo, habitually took kickbacks as part of transactions with food vendors and that at least one family
Family
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
member knew about it. The suit also alleged that Joe Wingo set up a North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
corporation to buy a personal jet
Jet aircraft
A jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes – as high as . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances. The engines in propeller-powered aircraft...
and then leased the jet to Angel Food Ministries for a profit of $10,000 a month. The suit additionally alleged the Wingos used the Angel Food credit cards and spent more than $850,000 for personal possessions. Angel Food Ministries offered its full cooperation in the investigation and voluntarily agreed to provide any records the government wished to examine. The two board members who sued the nonprofit and the Wingos have came to an agreement in Walton County, Ga., Superior Court. The agreement approved by the court, the Wingos' company credit cards will be canceled, the nonprofit will undergo a forensic financial audit, and Joe Wingo will sign over to Angel Food a company he owns that was renting the corporate jet to the nonprofit organization. The two board member who filed the suit agreed to leave the organization as a part of the deal and Angel Food must pay $45,000 in Atnip's and Prather's legal fees. They will retain standing to take any actions when the forensic audit
Audit
The general definition of an audit is an evaluation of a person, organization, system, process, enterprise, project or product. The term most commonly refers to audits in accounting, but similar concepts also exist in project management, quality management, and energy conservation.- Accounting...
comes in. Joe Wingo and his son, Wesley, will retain their roles at the agency. During the hearing, attorneys said Linda Wingo left her position last year and son Andy left in late 2007.In their June settlement, both sides agreed the audit would be kept under seal of the court.
Angel Food's Feb. 1 filing also claims the defendants have complied with all other provisions of the June 19 court order, which was modified slightly on Oct. 1.
Angel Food, the filing said, has eliminated all personal use of Angel Food credit cards by the Wingos; arranged for Angel Food to lease an airplane owned by North Carolina Aviation Leasing from under supervision of the Angel Food board, with no personal use allowed; paid Atnip $282,693 and continues to pay him $13,461.54 twice a month; and paid plaintiffs' counsel $45,000.
Messages left for attorneys representing Atnip and Prather were not returned.
Agents from the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service searched the Angel Food headquarters last February and copied files, but government sources have released no news about any investigation since.
Similar Groups
The program is available in Kenosha through New Hope Ministries. In Wetosha, the SHARE program- Self Help and Resource Exchange that is similar to that of Angel Food Ministries.Reorganization
Angel Food Ministries posted on their website that they will not be distributing boxes in September 2011. They also mentioned restructuring or reorganizing the ministry citing economic hardships.As of September 23rd 2011 Angel food ministries shut down operations after 17 years of operation citing the economic difficulties expressed earlier in the month.
"At this time we regret to inform you that we have not found a solution that will allow Angel Food Ministries to continue to distribute food on a monthly basis and have decided to cease operations."
It is now suggested that former employees and partners are working together to create a replacement program for the defunct ministry.
Former employees and partners were unable to re-organize and have given up efforts. Several other companies have formed and are running at this time.