The word “needy” may evoke images of those who have nothing to eat.

While there are plenty of people like that out there, there are also those who simply struggle to meet a monthly budget.

Angel Food Ministries is geared toward helping both. Pleasant Grove Baptist Church No. 1 near Jemison has been a host site for 18 months and has set out to meet a great need in the community.

Rhonda Northcutt, co-director along with her husband, Michael, first saw the program at a Homewood church and wanted to start a site here.

“I thought it was something like bent and dent, but it’s not. It’s really high quality food,” she said.

Participants can buy a box of food each month for $30 or an allergen-free box for $40. Senior boxes are $28 apiece.

For every box sold, the church gets $1 to donate back to the community.

“You can buy a box for $30 and get between $60 and $70 worth of food,” Northcutt estimated.

And there are no qualifications to meet. The program is open to anyone.

“They don’t care who buys it,” Northcutt said, “because for every box we sell the church gets $1. We in turn buy boxes of Angel Food and give them to somebody in need.”

The menu varies each month. The August menu includes 1.5 pound ribeye steaks, 3 pounds chicken breast, 1 pound pork chops, 2 pounds macaroni and beef dinner, 1.5 pound chicken nuggets, 1 pound ground beef, 1 pound fish sticks, 1 pound frozen corn, 1 pound frozen baby lima beans, iceberg lettuce, 2 pounds sweet potatoes, 15 ounces pork and beans, 1 pound rice, 32 ounces 2-percent milk, 1 dozen eggs and dessert.

Food must be ordered before Aug. 17 and picked up Aug. 29. Pickup times are coordinated alphabetically.

Northcutt emphasized that Angel Food Ministries is a non-profit program.

“Our goal is not to make a profit but to help somebody in need,” she said.

The church is located near the intersection of Alabama 191 and County Road 50. For more information or to place an order, call 688-1100 or visit www.angelfoodministries.com.