Angel Food Ministries paid top dollar to execs in ‘09

Elliott Baer, an attorney for Angel Food Ministries, based in Monroe, said Wednesday that Wingo family members were taking a pay cut in 2010 but he said he didn't know the extent of the reduction.

FBI and IRS agents searched Angel Food's offices in February 2009 and apparently are continuing to investigate the organization. Federal agents could not be reached for comment this week, but another attorney for Angel Foods, Jay Hawkins of Macon, said in an e-mail that the organization is cooperating with investigators.

Joe Wingo founded Angel Food Ministries in 1994. He told the AJC last year that his idea was to buy food at discount and use a network of churches and volunteer labor to sell it, with just enough profit to keep the organization running. He would donate $1 back to churches for every box sold for the once-a-month deliveries. A box cost $30, or $30 worth of food stamps. Buyers got about double the value of what they would pay for in a store, Wingo said at the time.

He said the organization was operating in 31 states. Its form 990 for 2009 said it rang up nearly $131 million in food sales.

Angel Food paid Wingo family members more than $2.8 million in 2007, the AJC reported at the time. Compensation declined somewhat in 2008, according to the organization's form 990 for that year: Joe Wingo was paid $764,840, and Jonathan Wesley Wingo, $242,393. The filing does not indicate any compensation paid to Linda Wingo. But it does list outstanding loans from the organization to Joe Wingo of $574,062; Linda Wingo of $379,015; Jonathan Wingo, $266,938; and Andrew Wingo, $200,868.

Hawkins, the attorney, had agreed to answer a number of questions from the AJC by e-mail. He said Angel Food laid off 18 people in November, following an earlier layoff of 49. Sales of food boxes are off, Hawkins said, because many customers either cannot afford to buy them or can't wait a week between the time they make payment and receive the food.

"AFM refused to cut costs by lowering the quantity or quality of its food," he said. "Instead, we had to reduce our staffing levels and administrative expenses."

He said the nonprofit was continuing to look for efficiencies in transportation and logistics but there are no plans to scale back services. Angel Food has 532 full- and part-time employees, including 101 at Good Hope Transportation, Angel Food's transportation and logistics subsidiary, Hawkins said.

There also has been controversy surrounding the use of a plane by Angel Food. Pilot Wesley Allgood, who lost his job in November after four years with the organization, told the AJC that he has been contacted by the FBI. Allgood, who is listed in IRS filings as director of security, said in a telephone interview that the Wingos used the plane to take personal trips, including to a doctor in Pennsylvania. Allgood said the Wingos disguised the trips as business-related.

He said the Wingos also used the private plane to fly to a game between the University of Georgia and the University of Florida in Jacksonville. "That flight lasted less than an hour," he said. "When you factor in the cost of fuel, a rental car, food and pilot salaries, it adds up."

Hawkins dismissed Allgood's allegations, saying the comments were from "disgruntled employees using whatever media will listen to air their greviences," Hawkins said in the email.

"Pastor Joe Wingo emphasizes that we should turn the other cheek to their accusations and pray for them." He said the allegations, are "interesting  but there's no story here. Each and every flight of the Angel Food airplane furthers the business and missions of AFM."