I thought I would let you know about a program called Treasure Box that allows families to purchase a box of food for $30 that is supposed to feed a family of 4 for one week. I have not tried it myself, but there are several pickup locations in my fairly small city (mostly churches). There are 3 different box choices, but their main one has lots of different meats, frozen veggies and fruit as well as pasta and desert. The website says the boxes are worth $60 to $100 retail. It may be a good option for many out there who don’t make everything from scratch (which I tend to do). -Coby
Has anyone tried out the Treasure Box Food Program before? I’d be very interested in hearing about your experiences — good or bad.
Anonymous says
We had something similar. You had to volunteer for 10 hours a week and you would receive a bag of food. I don’t remember if you had to pay money towards it or not since I was 12 when my family needed it. I do remember that it was meant for those greatly in need and not those just looking to tighten their budget. I remember a variety of items from fresh fruit and nuts to imitation crab meat. It was a life saver for the few weeks we needed it.
J9 says
I’ve ordered Treasure Box – the variety and the single serve meals, and everything was high quality and delicious. My kids LOVED the fajitas and the single serve meals (for a quick option). They weren’t as fond of the fish (but aren’t fish eaters usually). My husband liked everything, and there was even an apple pie, which was so much better than I thought it would be. I’m vegetarian and can attest that the pasta and veggies were all high quality and yummy too! I drive 40 miles each way to pick mine up, and it is well worth the drive – I also know they are offering a kid’s box for July, and I plan on getting a couple in case they don’t offer it again for a while. So far, having both boxes has lasted nearly a month, but I’m not eating the meats and my kids are still in grade school, so your milage may vary 🙂
Deb Melander says
The Treasure Box is fantastic! My family has been using the Treasure Box groceries since March of this year and we are very happy with quality, quantity & value. Treasure Box is a California-based company that only has order sites in CA & AZ right now – but they intend to expand. I have recommended Treasure Box to all of my family & friends because everyone can use the program – no restrictions or qualifications necessary. I mean, who doesn’t want to save money – right?
May says
It’s called Angel Food here too. I ordered once a few years back at my sister-in-law’s recommendation. Unfortunately I didn’t find the food to be all that great. We actually had some rotten squashed fruits on the bottom of our box. My sister-in-law insisted that is not normal (she buys 2 boxes a month), but I can’t afford to take a chance again. Besides that, most of the food is not what I would spend money on, so it was not worth it.
Sonia says
The Treasure Box is great! My husband and I purchase one every month. We make it last at least 3 weeks! We used to spend $30-40 a trip on groceries and now we only buy the necessities spending less than $10 each time. The food quality is really good too.
Laura says
In Michigan, I know many churches included my own in Holland, Michigan have Angel Food Ministries. It is a good deal (our church even provides homemade cookies too) but many items are canned/processed. Best wishes!
Pam says
In addition to this program and Angel Food, I found another similar Michigan program: Grace Groceries
http://www.wardchurch.org/arena/default.aspx?page=3402
Amanda Monroe says
We ordered from Angel Food several times last winter and spring before my baby was born. It did help our budget during that time, but I have since found that I can save even more by using coupons and shopping sales and freezer cooking. I found the meat to be low quality, and highly processed. We always got the fruit and veggie box too, which was my favorite part because we had all but stopped buying produce. I missed that, but since they opened Aldi in TX I have been able to buy sooo much for sooo little. I shop there for produce and the basics, the little hispanic grocery stores for awesome meat deals, and everything else is what i can get with coupons at the grocery stores, and we have seriously cut our groceru budget since I have branched out from just walmart shopping. I don’t think I would go back to Angel Food under normal circumstances, but if I got really too busy to shop for a while and stockpile i may consider it again.
Amy S says
We have been ordering from Angel Food Ministries since January of this year. We have been quite satified with the price and quality of everything. There are a few items that have not been to our liking. But overall, it has reduced our food bill and helped us out a lot. It has limited our variety of what we eat, but the savings have been well worth that.
Mandy F says
I just placed our 7th order with The Treasure Box (we live in So. Cal) and we LOVE them! If you’re looking for fresh produce, you won’t find it with The Treasure Box but everything we’ve gotten in their boxes have been great! I generally order 2 basic boxes & 2 protein boxes and ALWAYS have food left over! If you’re going to order from them, I HIGHLY recommend having a deep freezer or extra fridge/freezer space! We’re a family of 6 and our food bill has been cut down so much! I also order from Goldenshare (Also a So. Cal company) each month and they also have great deals on food. They do have fresh produce boxes (reg. & organic) and also fresh produce in their basic box. They have tons of choices and their prices all depend on what box you order! I pick up from both companies (2 different churches in our area) on the same day within an hour of each other and it works out perfect each time. I have a friend that just ordered from Angel Food and she didn’t mind their food/quality. Another friend ordered the pre-made meals from Goldenshare and she didn’t care for them. I’m a stay at home mom, who LOVES to cook and does sale/coupon shop but I also HIGHLY recommend the food box programs!
Saralyn says
Like others we tried Angel Food but found the meat not so great and ended up pitching or giving away the processed stuff. I found that I can do just as well on my own at Aldi.
Carrie says
We have AngelFood here. I ordered twice. My husband’s grandma orders it every month. To me, it’s not worth it. The boxes have a lot of items that I would not normally spend my money on and the meat was not of a good quality. I found it to be a lot of processed foods/fatty meats. I would rather buy items on sale or with coupons (or both) that I actually want. I don’t think the box is any cheaper than what you can find by frugally shopping in the grocery store. For people that do not have the time or resources to shop around or are not picky and do not care what they get, it would be OK. But for me, not worth it.
Jane says
There’s another similar program based out of Ohio called Great Food for All. We’ve done it as well as Angel Food. The main problem I had was that I do not have a family of 4! Buying one box did not provide enough of the main entree if my kids really liked it, but buying two gave us too much. I’d encourage everyone to investigate one of these grocery programs and/or give it a try at least once, just so you’d know if it’s a method that would work for your family and budget.
Tara says
We have done Angel Food Ministries before and it worked. The foods are definitely convenience items and not too good for you. With that said, they can serve a big need for people on limited budgets, with not much time to cook, or for people that cannot get out.
Chrissy says
Our church also does the angel food program. I have not use this before but I have some friends who love this program.
Rae says
I have never done this program but have done Angel Food Ministries before. It would be good for people that are too busy to do couponing or that are unable to physically go out in the stores or elderly people. But for me being a mobile, couponing mom, it was more money than I usually spend and always had some things in it that I didn’t like so it wasn’t worth it. And their “special” broken down per lb are quite a bit more than I can get meat or produce on sale if I’m willing to wait a month or so (then stock up) so those weren’t worth it either. Occasionally I would find a special I would want but you have to buy the main box to buy a special and often a large portion of the main box was stuff we don’t like. But for the above people that I mentioned and some others, it is definitely a blessing.
Rae says
@Rae, Nevermind you can buy the specials alone now. But prices have gone up even more
Emily says
Never done it before, but I looked into it a while ago, but when I saw what is available through our regional version (also Angel Food Ministries), I knew I can get better deals by shopping the loss leaders at the grocery store and stockpiling, so we declined participating.
jan says
We used to do Angel Food when it was $25 a box but now it is $30 which I think is too high. It is Aldi type food. Also Angel Food Ministries was under investigation awhile back for financial reasons so we don’t support them any more.
chrystalm says
In South Carolina its called Angel Food Ministries also, you can look them up at angelfoodministries.com. The food is very good we order once a month. They also have excellent specials. It is definately a good value. I have a family of 4 and the food is well received. My family loves it when its angel food day. My daughter has wheat and egg allergies so the specials are a tremendous help!
Kacy @ Valuing Today says
I believe that Angel Food Ministries and the Treasure Box Program are 2 different organizations. Treasure Box is only available in California and Arizona. Angel food Ministries is available in most states.
They have similar missions in what they are trying to accomplish.
I have used Angel Food Ministries for a while and they have made significant improvements in the quality of food and options in the last several months, so if you haven’t checked them out recently, it may not be a bad idea to give them a second look.
I hope that info helps!! 🙂
Kacy
Bill Van Workum says
@Kacy @ Valuing Today, You are correct. The Treasure Box currently only offers its products throughout CA and AZ. They do have plans to expand into other states as quickly as possible. You can checkout the feedback from consumers who have purchased their products by visiting their Facebook fan page which can be accessed from The Treasure Box’s main website.
Heather says
We did Angel Food in PA from Fall 2005 – mid way through 2008. The prices went up slowly. It was great in the beginning. However, as the company grew – it had many growing pains like the meat comments above. The suppliers have changed and they appreciate feed back from customers and try to make modifications based on those comments! We enjoyed getting the variety since we can easily get stuck in a food preparation rut. There are many plusses and minuses for Angel Food. My theory is if you have never tried it – give it a shot and decide for yourself!
Anne says
I’m in PA, its called Angel Food Ministries here too, we did it once but didn’t really find that it was worth it for us. I don’t mind generic brand items but I’m picky about meat and the meat was pretty low quality so we decided not to do it again.
JulieJ says
We also used the Angel Food program for a while. The food is highly processed and very low quality. The vegetables are shipped from out of state and wilted. We tried the senior citizen meals for my husband to take to work but they are extremely bland and overprocessed. The meat does not even look like meat. We missed fresh food so I returned to cooking from scratch. It’s always worth a try. My kids did like the frozen pizzas.
Emily says
I’ve done angelfoodministries.com through a neighborhood church. I often can find coupon codes to get a couple more dollars off the signature box or whatever else I decide to order for the month on their facebook page or when I search “angelfood coupon codes” on yahoo. I can usaully find around 3-5 dollars off. I really like the meals because they provide the basics and I can make whatever I want with the basics.
Faith says
Just FYI… I have found coupon codes for Angel Food Ministries on retailmenot.com:)
Michelle Z. says
I order from Angel Food every now and then. It all depends on what is offered in that month’s box. The meat quality has really improved, so some of the previous posters might want to give them another try. I’ve always found the produce to be exactly the same as what I buy at Aldi.
Melissa says
I have consistently ordered every month from Angel Food for almost 3 years. I like the fact that some of my meals are planned for me without much planning time. It saves me grocery and meal plannig time. Most of the food is good quality, however a few of the items I do not care for. We simply swap with another family that orders.. The scheduling is not usually a problem as our neighbors order so we share the pick-up duities. I guess you could call it food car-pooling?
Deana says
It’s Angel Food here as well. I tried once or twice a few years ago, it was $20/box at that time. I would agree with the above statements about the meats being sub par. Personally, I can stretch that same $20 or $30 farther on my own with coupons/sales, so it’s not worth it for me…. but I do think it’s a good idea for the elderly or disabled.
Del says
In our area it’s also called Angel Food Ministries: https://www.angelfoodministries.com/
We’ve never used it, but know of a family who did while they were having financial difficulties and it was a great help.
Rachel says
The quality of the food didn’t bother me, but I found that the price isn’t better than what I pay myelf, as long as I buy on sale. It’s true that the boxes are probably half of retail, but I already pay half of retail just by buying on sale. This is a good idea for people who can’t plan their meals or don’t know how to buy on sale.
Heather T. says
@Rachel, I have to agree the food is good not great but good, but really just shopping sales and usuing coupons you get the food way cheaper when you get it yourself, its convienent for those who don’t shop this way but I am willing to bet most of them do not use this site either.
Lana says
Does anyone have any experience with the precooked meals boxes for senior citizens. We had wondered about that for my father in law who is an 83 year old widower. I would cook for him if we were not 500 miles away.
Deana says
@Lana,
I certainly think it would be worth a try. Worst case is he’s not going to like them – right?
At least let him try it for a month, if he doesn’t like it, he doesn’t have to do it again.
Do you have anyone that can pick the food up for him? Or is he still mobile enough to do it on his own?
Lana says
@Deana, He actually still works at a local homeless shelter and loves it. I just want to know he is eating well.
Lea says
@Lana, I bought the senior pack with the thanksgiving pack a couple of years ago… it was horrible!!! I had planned on my DH taking the diners for work when we didn’t have left overs, the food was all drained of color, so completely unappetizing to look at, and there was a “dessert”, almost always a cookie, in each one that the limited instructions didn’t say to take out – we had one gingersnap cookie actually catch on fire in the microwave! Most of the other cookies were so soggy from sitting on whatever food that they were inedible. The taste of the main courses was nothing to write home about either, but we did end up using them all as I can’t stand food waste. That was in Nov 2008, they may be better by now, but I wouldn’t waste my money on them again.
Lana says
@Lea, Thanks for your honest review of the meals. FIL likes good food and probably would not be happy with these.
Christy says
@Lana, No experience with angelfood, but one idea is when you do go visit, bake a bunch of lasagnas and casseroles and things and freeze them in individual portions. That way he has several “TV dinners” but homemade. I know someone who did that for her father once.
Crystal says
@Lana,
Unless you’re just trying to save him (or a caretaker) a trip to the grocery store, you can get better quality meals for less expensive at the store. Those are $2.80 each. Kroger, Meijer, etc. frequently put healthy microwave meals on sale for as low as $1 each.
Patty says
@Lana, Do you have a Meals On Wheels Program there? I volunteer/deliver meals each week and they look good to me. Just a thought.
Kelly says
I order from Angel Food Ministries and have yet to have a problem. I have never had issues with the quality though there are a couple of items that I personally don’t like. If I am ordering that month and one of those items is included, I will donate that item to our church food pantry though. I also use coupons when shopping for the other items I need and have noticed that my grocery bills are significantly less.
Mrs. R. says
We have Angel Food Ministries in our area, too…..might be a good solution for some families, but I’ve heard hte produce quality is unacceptable.
Amanda Monroe says
@Mrs. R.,
actually, the fruit and veggie extra box was the best thing, but you had to buy the low quality box of everything in order to buy the extras and that stuff wasnt worth it to me…and then they opened aldi =)
Treva says
I tried the one in our area “Angels Food Ministries” once . It was low cost, but the quality of the food was low. Lots of breaded meats that I don’t normally buy. We ate the food, but I’ve never purchased it again.
Melanie says
Here in RI we have Serve, which “serves” the entire New England area. Most items in the packages are produced locally, which is nice. They also offer special packages monthly (primarily special seasonal meats- grilling packages in summer, turkey and fixings for winter holidays).
http://servenewengland.org/
SANDRA says
it must not be available in my area either. we have angelfood ministries and its better than it used to be, the meat is much better quality now. also we have great food for all, but Ive never ordered from them.
Rachel says
Is this program in Michigan? Every time I put in a zip it won’t come up.
Chris says
@Rachel, in Michigan the program is called Angel Food Ministries.
Julie says
We have a program similar here called Share. I did it for a while, but all the meats and stuff was so proccessed I could continue it. I did like the fresh produce, but the other stuff wasn’t so great. I was looking for more healthy options.
Jennifer says
I have ordered Angel Food before but stopped because the meat wasn’t that great. I think it’s a great ministry to those who need food assistance. I just prefer to buy higher quality meats for my family.
kelly says
I’ve done Angel Food Ministries (our version here) several times a few years ago. We found the food to be decent, but the beef and pork that were included were very sub-par. Now, we did like the chicken offerings, especially the popcorn chicken “extra” box you could purchase. In the end, however, I found it easier to buy what we use on sale with coupons.
Also, our pickup is in a neighboring city, about a 15 minute drive one way; I never go there other than that, so it was a waste of gas. Then I’d have to wait in line. And the designate pick up time usually conflicted with my schedule. So, in the end, we just decided to quit doing it. (It was $23 a box when we did it, but the price increase made it not worth it….)
Crystal Brothers says
We have angel food ministries here as well. For myself, it’s not practical (since only half of it is stuff we’d buy/eat normally) or economical, since I can get better prices using sales and coupons. However, for those who aren’t motivated to use coupons and who are on a tight budget it could be a great thing.
Crystal Brothers says
I’ve never tried it but we have a similar program in my area called Angel Food Ministries.
Toni says
Where I live, it’s called Angel Food Ministries. We have a delivery site here at our church and we receive around 100 orders a month. Here are my posts about my experience with it if you are interested. 🙂
http://cheapomcfrugalpants.blogspot.com/search/label/Angel%20Food%20Ministries
LoveToShop says
@Toni, That’s also what it’s callde here and many of the eldery residents of our apartment community pretty much count on those boxes. They cannot afford to do otherwise and I’m very glad to see the organization around because of all the help it provides them. 🙂
Toni says
@LoveToShop, A lot of people here rely on them too. It’s nice that they have different “boxes” to fit all sorts of needs. Since there are no monetary restrictions, ANYONE can order. Especially helpful to those on low income because they accept food assistant cards, which I think is wonderful!
laura says
@Toni, Yes, its Angel Food in my area as well. There is one church in my small town who offers it. I’ve also heard that one of the boxes offered is for those with food allergies (which I thought was nice). But I don’t have any personal experience with it.
Toni says
@laura, I don’t have a need for that either, but the form says “processed to eliminate the eight top serious allergens: peanuts, soybeans, milk, eggs, fish, crustacea, tree nuts and gluten (wheat, rye and barley)” If that is a concern, I think I would check the website or call them to make sure everything is okay to eat.