Jody and Scott Eldridge had been thinking about getting involved with Angel Food Ministries when they took a trip to Ellwood City in August 2006.

The Zelienople couple had been trying to decide whether they wanted to bring the ministry to the church they attend, Harmony-Zelienople United Methodist Church. So they went to Ellwood City to watch the monthly process of churches picking up the food for distribution.

They were immediately sold.

"Watching those churches come together … my husband just started crying and said, 'We've got to do this,' " Mrs. Eldridge said.

Like a food pantry, Angel Food Ministries provides food for those who need it. But unlike a typical food pantry, its customers pay for the food but don't have to meet income eligibility requirements to participate.

"There is a need that is not being met because food pantries can help if you qualify. A lot of families don't qualify but still just aren't making it," Mrs. Eldridge said. "Those are the people my heart goes out to."

For $30 a month, customers can buy a box of fresh, frozen and packaged food that would cost at least $65 in stores, according to Angel Food. The ministry gets the food at a substantial discount by buying in bulk. It does not use outdated or inferior products, Mrs. Eldridge said.

The food is always acquired through high quality vendors and producers, according to the ministry's Web site.

Angel Food Ministries was started in 1994 in Monroe, Ga., when pastors Joe and Linda Wingo saw families in their area affected by plant closings. The first distribution fed 34 families from the couple's back porch, according to the Web site. Angel Food is nondenominational and now feeds more than 500,000 families each month in 35 states.

A group of volunteers from Harmony-Zelienople United Methodist Church, including Mr. and Mrs. Eldridge, handle the food orders, pickup and distribution every month at the church at North Pittsburgh Street in Zelienople.

Mrs. Eldridge said the group trained for months to learn to make the distribution process as seamless as possible.

"A lot of prayer went into this, believe me," she said.

The group gets $1 per box of food ordered from the national Angel Food Ministry. Mrs. Eldridge said 10 percent of that money goes to the church and the rest is used to pay for monthly menus, gas to pick up the orders and to buy additional food for those who can't afford it.

Other churches in the region host Angel Food Ministries.

CrossWay Church in Valencia is one of them. Joni Kellar, who coordinates the program there, said the church's location near the middle-income families who live along Route 8 makes it a good place for the program.

"There are so many families who fall on the wrong side of county help and just miss out for food stamps," she said. "We thought this was the perfect solution."

She said she used to be a single mother and understands the challenges some families face.

"People will sometimes back off on groceries to pay other bills," she said. "This gives people a little bit of help."

Mrs. Eldridge said Angel Food is a good idea for anyone who wants to spend money wisely.

"I'd encourage people to be open-minded and give it a try," she said.

Those who are interested in the program can go to www.angelfoodministries.com and type in their ZIP code to find the nearest participating church.