News Nearby: Food Ministry Suspends September Orders

The thousands of people nationwide who have come to depend on Angelfood Ministries in Walton County for $35 food packages suddenly found themselves out of luck Wednesday.

A click on the website at www.angelfoodministries.com to place an order finds this message.

We regret to inform you that Angel Food Ministries (AFM) will not be holding a food distribution for the month of September.

Full refunds are now being processed to those who have already placed orders for the September distribution.

Like the thousands of businesses in America that have endured one of the worst recessions in the past 100 years, we too have faced operational and financial challenges. We have every intention to continue offering great food at great prices in the coming months and are considering ways to reorganize or restructure our Ministry.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause to the hundreds of thousands of customers who have come to rely on us every month, to our Host Sites and to the thousands of volunteers who join us in serving God by helping those in need.

Please check this website often for the latest information. Thank you for your understanding and May God Bless.

Feel free to contact us at angelfood@angelfoodministries.com.

The Walton Tribune and the Atlanta Journal Constitution are reporting that 90 employees at its Monroe plant have been let go.

The organization, first formed in 1994 by Joseph and Linda Wingo, built itself up into a national organization selling cheap food to the poor as well as anyone else who wanted to buy the discounted food. The organization, however, has faced several challenges since 2009 after a raid by the Federal Bureau of Investigations and several lawsuits filed by former employees.

In 2009, Wingo and his wife drew salaries of almost $800,000 between them, according to the AJC. The investigation of the ministry is ongoing.