Angel Food New Orleans: Stretching the Food Budget and Reaching Out to the Community

Cheryl Napoli, Angel Food New Orleans Coordinator

Stretching the Food Budget and Reaching Out to the Community
New Orleans is a different place since Katrina. One thing really stands out though; everything is so much more expensive! Rents have gone up, utilities have gone up – even the cost of food has gone up. We are paying higher prices at the grocery stores, and our wallets feel it. Of course, while everyone is facing higher costs, not everyone has the same earning power as before the storm. A lot of the businesses have moved out of the area or have downsized to keep up with their own price increases.
There is help out there, though. Community Church New Orleans hosts Angel Food New Orleans, a discount grocery program. The program can increase your purchasing power by providing good quality meats and vegetables at a discounted price. Every month you can purchase a box of food worth $50 – $75 for only $26. The menu includes frozen meats, vegetables, and several pantry items. The best part is that there are no qualifications for acceptance, no limits on quantity and no application process.
While the menu changes every month, it is the same high quality food that one could purchase at the grocery store. There are no government surplus commodities, no second-hand items and no damaged or out-dated goods.
How does the program work? People order in advance every month before deadlines, and then pick up food on specific distribution days. For example, November’s deadline is Monday, November 5th, and the pick up on Saturday, November 17th. Orders are taken Monday through Thursday at Community Church’s office at 430 Maine Street in Jefferson. The office is one block from Causeway, in the front corner of the old Jefferson Shopping Plaza. Cash, money orders and food stamps are accepted at this location. You can also order online at www.angelfoodneworleans.com, using credit or debit cards.
Community Church New Orleans started hosting the program in June 2006 as a way to reach out to the community. “It has always been the heart of Community Church to help people. After the hurricane, we knew that we had to do something that would be an ongoing blessing to the community. After looking at the biggest needs in the community, we decided that a discount grocery program was really needed,” says Pastor Shawn Johnson. “This is just a great way to help people. Every time we hear someone say, ‘if it wasn’t for Angel Food I couldn’t have paid my bills’, we know it was the right decision.”
Try it out yourself and you will see just how much it can help you to stretch your budget. For more information, please contact Community Church New Orleans at (504) 846-4466 or angelfood@communityno.com. For the most recent menu and additional information about the program, visit the Angel Food website at www.angelfoodneworleans.com.

QUESTION: What do I need to submit to City Hall to do business as a non-profit organization? Can you explain steps to take, as well as the pros and cons of organizing?

ANSWER: The process for becoming a non-profit organization happens at both state and federal levels. A non-profit, or 501-(c)(3) organization, is a business that does not seek profit for its services. For that reason, a non-profit is eligible for state and federal tax exemptions.

Since I don’t know what type of organization you want to start, I’ll use a neighborhood association as an example.  The pros of establishing an organization as a non-profit are tax exemption status, tax write-offs for donors and a plethora of possible grants.  However, the cons of forming a non-profit are that the application process requires more time and money than a for-profit entity and the organization must have both stringent bookkeeping and financial disclosure procedures.

To start a non-profit, you will first need to incorporate. You can find further information about this at the Louisiana Secretary of State’s website, www.sos.louisiana.gov and the Internal Revenue Service’s website, www.irs.gov/charities.
QUESTION: One side of my street has a streetlight, but that’s the only one for the entire block. The other side is dark and gloomy at night. There are light poles, but there are no fixtures on them. Who do I contact about putting up additional light fixtures?

ANSWER:  You need to contact the Department of Public Works at 504-658-2299 to report your problem. Although it may take some time to have the problem remedied, given the backlog of work, you’ll be given a reference number to check on the status of the project.

Have a Question for City Hall or need a particular concern addressed?
E-mail it to sean@npnnola.com and the Trumpet will do its best to get an answer.

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