I want to help, but what can I do?

I really do! I want to help my fellow Americans. Everyone is struggling. I will probably have to go to the food bank on monday, as our income tax is all gone, and my foodstamps still haven't been recertified. And here we are, right back in the same place we were a month ago. But I thank God everyday for our lives! our children! and for everything. Its been since August that my husband and I have both been unemployed. And we are still floating! Don't ask me how, I couldn't tell you, except the Lord does supply us with everything we need, and then some. Ok, I am totally way off subject.

Ok, when I go to the food bank, I am going to ask to volunteer. I have thought about but never done it. I think I would probably really enjoy myself, and I would feel like I'm giving something back. I saw a news story the other day, about people volunteering, to pad their resume. Huh? How about to be human? There I go being judgemental. Sorry, but I'm a sinner like the rest.

This is my challenge to everyone(if anyone) who reads this. Sometime soon, help someone that you don't know. At the grociery store, that elderly woman in front of you that is going so slow, don't be a jerk to her. That person that cuts you off in traffic, pray for'm instead of cussin them. I am trying to do these things myself. And I hope that it will make me a better person. And perhaps I will change someones life for the better, if even for just a minute. I will try to post my experiences here. God Bless you all and God Bless America, we need it!

P.S. if you need assistance you can find links to help and assistance in the USA at my website InXpensive Living or my Aidpage blog

FBI Raid? Angel Food Ministries?

When does the corruption END!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FBI raid on Ga-based food charity raises questions
By DIONNE WALKER Associated Press Writer The Associated Press
Friday, March 6, 2009 3:31 AM EST



The offices of Angel Food Ministries in Monroe, Ga., are shown Thursday, March 5,...

For more than a decade, Angel Food Ministries seemed like a godsend for families who purchased its low-cost food boxes and the churches that shared millions in revenue for distributing the goods.

It became an economic juggernaut in the faith community, employing hundreds, feeding thousands a month and pouring $19 million into its network of more than 5,000 host churches in 35 states.

Now, a lawsuit coupled with an FBI raid at the group's headquarters has raised accusations of financial mismanagement at the nonprofit. The raid and ensuing FBI investigation have left congregations and church leaders weighing whether to cut their ties to the high-profile charity after the reported disclosure that six-figure salaries were paid to its founders.

"We get signed up and I start hearing this," said the Rev. Chad Massey, whose Unadilla First Baptist Church in central Georgia planned to place its first Angel Food order this month. "It's kind of hard to know what to do."

FBI officials haven't disclosed the nature of the investigation surrounding the ministry.

Angel Food has acknowledged that a grand jury investigation is looking into what it called "alleged financial irregularities" involving unspecified individuals — but not the ministry itself.

Meanwhile, lawsuits filed by Angel Food Ministries board members and former employees accuse Angel Food leadership of using the non-denominational nonprofit as a moneymaking venture.

The Rev. Joseph Wingo and wife Linda founded the ministry in 1994 to help 34 families hurt by plant closings in the manufacturing town of Monroe, about 45 miles east of Atlanta.

Since then, Angel Food Ministries has grown to hundreds of workers supplying food for anti-poverty programs at more than 5,000 churches spanning several denominations. There are 473 distribution centers listed in Georgia and more than 1,400 concentrated in Texas, Missouri, Tennessee and Pennsylvania.

All told, the ministry says it serves more than 500,000 families a month. It has no plans to interrupt food delivery.

read full story here

Angel Food Ministries - Save money on food

I posted this on my other blog at Aidpage, but I think it's important to post these things as much as possible, in order to get the word out. So here ya go.

Angel Food Ministries
Laura14 Posted by Laura14

1 hour ago

I have been hearing a lot from neighbors and internet sites about Angel Food Ministries lately, so I thought I would share the info with everyone. This is quite interesting and could save us all a little money. The following information is straight from their website

http://www.angelfoodministries.com/about/

Everyone Qualifies

There are no qualifications, minimums, income restrictions, or applications.Everyone is encouraged to participate. Some churches even encourage participants to apply the money they saved to help someone else in need.

What is Angel Food Ministries?

Angel Food Ministries is a non-profit, non-denominational organization dedicated to providing grocery relief and financial support to communities throughout the United States. The program began in 1994 with 34 families in Monroe, Georgia (between Atlanta and Athens), and has grown to serve hundreds of thousands of families every month across 35 states. Angel Food Ministries crosses denominational lines and has spread the good news of the gospel of Christ through salvation tracts that are placed in each food order.

Blessings by the box
Angel Food is available in a quantity that can fit into a medium-sized box at $30 per unit. Each month's menu is different than the previous month and consists of both fresh and frozen items with an average retail value of approximately $60. Comparison shopping has been done across the country in various communities using a wide range of retail grocery stores and has resulted in the same food items costing from between $42 and $78.

Generally, one unit of food assists in feeding a family of four for about one week or a single senior citizen for almost a month. The food is all the same high quality one could purchase at a grocery store. There are no second-hand items, no damaged or out-dated goods, no dented cans without labels, no day-old breads and no produce that is almost too ripe.

Also offered are specialty boxes such as steaks, chicken and pork. Many participants in this bonus program appreciate the expanded choices. Additionally, there is no limit to the number of units or bonus foods an individual can receive, and there are no applications to complete or qualifications to which participants must adhere. Angel Food Ministries also participates in the U.S. Food Stamp program, using the Off-Line Food Stamp Voucher system.

It's both a Bargain and a Blessing!
Sample Menu:
(this month's menu can be viewed here)

4 lb. IQF Leg Quarters
4 oz. Beef Back Ribs
1 lb. 80/20 Lean Ground Beef
2 lb. Breaded Chicken Tenders
1.5 lb. Bone in Pork Chops (4 x 6oz.)
1 lb. Ground Turkey
18 oz. Stuffed Manicotti (Cheese)
12 oz. Smoked Sausage
Betty Crocker Seasoned Potatoes
7 oz. Cheeseburger Dinner
16 oz. Green Beans
16 oz. Baby Carrots
2 lb. Onions
1 lb. Pinto Beans
1 lb. Rice
7 oz. Blueberry Muffin Mix
10 ct. Homestyle Waffles
Dessert Item

Getting Assistance in Texas

Ok, I am not here to complain about the assistance programs in Texas, by the way, my husband lived through his Parkland visit, infact, he ended up with a really good doctor, which is more than I can say for most. Anyways, back on my subject, the assistance programs (i.e. food, utilities, jobs..etc.) in Texas are really a lot better than most places. But they are extremely time consuming, and don't consider that people need help now. The Department of Human Services is bogged down because of the recession. Which is probably the case every where. And the Department of Vocational Rehab. is bogged down as well. So many people these days suffer from disabilities, that could be overcome, if they had insurance.
I suffer from Degenerative Disk Disease, I have gone through a lot of pain for 20 years now! Did you know that if I had about $3000 dollars or good insurance, I could have had surgery years ago, and lived a greatly improved life. When I was 34 I started to lose my hearing, I now know that it was because of Ottoschlerosis , which was possibly caused by the pain pills I took for 9mths one year when my back was really bad. Now I have finally learned about DARS, which no one ever told me about! They said, 4 mths ago, they would pay for my ear surgery in order to get me back to work. As for my back and my problems sitting, "I can sit on a pillow". I really can't complain, without them I could be looking at a life without sound. I just wish there was more help for people like me. I hope this new Presidential administration does something about the "healthcare crisis" soon. I feel like I have lost 20 years of a life I wish I had! Time I could have been playing with my kids, going camping, enjoying sports, etc.
Enough about me, if you are having trouble finding assistance, let me know, no matter the state you live in. I will do my best to help. My other blog is here at Aidpage. I also have links for finding assistance an living an affordable life at InXpensive Living.
God Bless Everyone, Say a Prayer for America! Laura

Got Health Insurance?

Thank God 2008 is over! I don't even want to mention it again. Here we are the first day of the new year, and we had to call ambulance for my husband, so he could go to the hospital and be torchered by the Parkland Public Health System!!!!!!! The EMT's on the ambulance saved him from having a heart attack, by spraying nitro under his tongue. But Parkland Hospital, the County Hospital, is going to give him a heart attack! They don't clean the rooms unless there are puddles of blood. Unless of course you have insurance other than theirs or medicaid. You have to have fancy smancy insurance in order to get good care. I am not just basing this on my husband. I know about 5 people who have been hospitalized there. Two I'm sure would have died if they stayed. One was my mother, who was taken there by ambulance, we never found out what was wrong with her, but she was in Parkland Hospital for 21 days. The first week she had no bodily function, just layed in the bed thrashing. I won't go into the detail, but they gave her a heart attack, while she was in the hospital. The Dr , more or less admitted it, then she went to the ICU, they are actually good people in there. They make you all better, so that you can go back to the floor and let the incompetent people not tend to you. While in the ICU, my mom started regaining her bodily function, and returning to almost normal. But once she was on the floor again, out of the ICU. It seemed she would get worse. She left Against Medical Advise 7 days out of the ICU. She sat up in her bed and told them what for! Yeah Mom! She used her own wheel chair and got the heck out of there. She said if she had stayed they would have surely killed her. She if fine today, probably because she left.

I had a friend that went to the ER at Parkland, because she was 8 1/2 months pregnant and having menstrual bleeding. They told her it was nothing go home. The next day she went to her regular prenatal clinic visit, and they rushed her back to Parkland Memorial in an ambulance because her placenta was splitting in half and her and her baby were fixing to die. The clinic called and griped out the people in the ER that sent her home, well the next day, after her emergency C section, a nurse came in her room and told her that she almost killed her own baby and herself from doing too much while she was pregnant. I really want to change the name of this blog to "I HATE PARKLAND MEMORIAL HOSPITAL!"

People say "It must be a great hospital, that's where they took Kennedy!" , Hello! Kennedy Died! , I know this isn't a good example , as his skull was in his wifes hands. But I guess I have expressed my issue. Parkland Hospital is the most horrible hospital I personally and people I know have ever experience. If you have good insurance, I am here to warn you, go somewhere else! But then again, you would probably be treated alright, cuz you got insurance.

Why Are you Struggling?

Everyone knows or should that Americans of all walks of life are struggling . This Blog is a great place to share your story. and discuss ways to get help. There are links here to services, help sites, and other people to talk to.
It started with the Gas Prices, for my husband and I. It made everything else (grocieries, household items, etc..) go up in price. My husband was the only one working at the time, because I have severe back problems and Otto sclerosis(I was losing my hearing). We applied for food stamps and that helped quite a bit. Now , in Texas, the price of gas has fell to under $2 a gallon, but everything else stayed high priced. Why is that?
A month after we got the stamps, my husbands health took a turn for the worst. He has high blood pressure for years, and abused his body for years. He was hospitalized with Congestive Heart Failure, lost his job, because they were jerks! became depressed and almost died several times. All the while here I am with 3 kids trying to pay the bills, feed the kids, and unable to work. It has been really hard. Then last month, the car died! I mean died, dead, capput! We are still both unemployed, and if not for the Grace of God, would be homeless. Things are looking up, at least in my mind. I hope to be employed by February, as I am getting help with my ears (but not my back). I hope that God himself takes over, straightens up my life, and makes Barak Obama save the American Economy, and my family along with it. It would be nice to have some health insurance too!