Zebulon — When April Holbrook of Youngsville needed to buy groceries, she loaded up her three children in the SUV and headed to a church in Zebulon. Angel Food Ministries, sponsored locally by New Fire Ministries, is helping the poor and the middle class purchase groceries it sells once a month on Saturdays for about half the rate of local grocery stores. Holbrook said she saved about $60 on her weekly grocery bill.

“I’ve got three kids and $60 is a lot to save,” she said.

Angel Food Ministries is headquartered in Good Hope, Ga. It was started by Joseph and Linda Wingo, pastors of Emmanuel Praise Church. In 1994, the Mingos were concerned about the laid-off families in nearby Monroe, Ga., due to industrial plant closings.

By purchasing food at deep volume discounts, and passing the savings to the consumer, Angel Food provides food each month to more than 500,000 families in 35 states.

In Zebulon the 1 1/2-year-old program led by pastors Jesse and Barbara Terrell of New Fire feeds 140 families.

“This is a blessing to us as a church,” said Barbara Terrell. “Our whole ministry has been about helping people.”

Barbara Terrell said the church started the program after a woman in their congregation came on hard times and was looking for ways to save money on necessities. She found out about Angel Food Ministries.

So the Terrells and the rest of the congregation at New Fire rolled up their sleeves and a new ministry was born.

On Saturday delivery days once a month, Jesse Terrell gets up at 5 a.m. and heads to Creedmoor to Christ Faith Center’s Angel Food warehouse to pick up food they ordered from Atlanta from two to three weeks before. (There is an ordering day for participants and a pickup day.)

The foods is then are taken to New Fire, which moved in August from the Zebulon Rotary Club to its renovated building on the corner of Barbee Street and Arendell Avenue in downtown Zebulon.

From there, volunteers from the church package the food and then distribute it to participants who drop by the church from 10 a.m. to noon on designated Saturdays.

The church is working on a federal grant for nonprofits to build a warehouse and become a distribution center for Angel Food, Jesse Terrell said.

To buy Angel Food, participants must purchase a $30 box which features items like rib-eye steaks, chicken breasts, heat and serve meatloaf, meatballs, pork chops, vegetables and a dozen eggs. If you purchase the box of food, you may purchase one or more of the four meats and one vegetable specials the program offers each month.

One of those might include rib-eye steaks, New York strip steaks and bacon-wrapped chicken fillets for $21. There are no income requirements for Angel Food. The program accepts food stamps.

“People are taking pride in buying,” said Jesse Terrell. “They don’t want a handout.”

For more information on Angel Food Ministries in Zebulon, call New Fire Ministries at 404-1477 or go to the church’s Web site at www.newfireministries.org.