Angel Food officials sentenced
Three members of the family that founded Angel Food Ministries, which was dedicated to feeding the hungry, were sentenced in federal court Thursday for using the nonprofit to enrich themselves.
Joseph and Linda Wingo, the founders of Angel Food Ministries, and their son Andy had pleaded guilty in February after an investigation that began in 2009.
U.S. Attorney Michael Moore said, “Pure and simple, this case is about greed. … The Wingos filled their garage with a classic automobile, their hangar with a private plane and their pockets with cash.”
Joe Wingo drew a seven-year sentence, was ordered to forfeit $1.5 million and pay a $15,000 fine for conspiracy to commit money laundering. Andy Wingo got seven years in prison and was ordered to forfeit $2.4 million for conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Linda Wingo got five years or probation and was ordered to pay a $25,000 fine for concealing the commission of a crime.
Felecca Wilson Taylor panicked when she heard that Angel Food Ministries was shutting down in 2011. The organization had for years sold discounted boxes of food to families in her church.
“We had all of these people relying on these boxes every month,” said Taylor, the director of the OneHarvest food ministry at Zion Baptist Church in Marietta. “I suddenly wondered, ‘What are they going to do’? I knew they would be able to eat, but not as well.”
She didn’t have long to worry.
Within a few months, Taylor was contacted by several organizations hoping to fill the void left by the Monroe-based Angel Food.
Angel Food had closed its doors, citing economic reasons although it was also under the scrutiny of federal investigators, who eventually arrested founders Joe and Linda Wingo and one son, Andy, on charges related to misusing the nonprofit’s resources.
The three pleaded guilty to some of the charges, and a federal judge in Macon sentenced them Thursday. Joe Wingo got 84 months of jail time, a $15,000 fine and must forfeit $1.5 million in assets. Andy Wingo also received 84 months of jail time and a $15,000 fine but must forfeit $2.4 million in assets. Linda Wingo was sentenced to five years of probation and was fined $25,000.
Though Angel Food closed, at least two groups started using a model made popular by the very successful nonprofit, including one run by a former board member.
"We want to help people with their grocery budgets, but it's also intended to be an outreach and a tool for churches to serve their communities," said Kerrie Rice, the administrative executive of OneHarvest Food Ministries.
Angel Food Ministries, founded 19 years ago, bought food in bulk and sold it at a discount to families through a network of churches using volunteer labor. At its peak, it sold about 600,000 boxes of food a month in 45 states. The White House even held it up as a model of success.
When Angel Food closed its doors, it blamed high fuel and operational costs.
Soon after its closing, though, a federal grand jury issued a multiple-count indictment against Angel Food officials. The indictment asserted that millions of dollars had been siphoned from the nonprofit to support lavish lifestyles, including the purchase of luxury cars and expensive jewelry.
“It’s disappointing, but by the same token, people are hungry and there’s no getting around that,” Taylor said. “The ministry itself and the idea of the ministry of providing affordable, quality food at a good cost is an idea that this country should be embracing.”
Indeed, nearly 15 percent of U.S. households at some point in 2011 were “food insecure,” which the U.S. Department of Agriculture defines as meaning they were uncertain of having or unable to acquire enough food to meet the needs of all their members.
After Angel Food’s demise some churches formed or expanded their own food ministries. The Rev. David Chancey, the senior pastor of McDonough Road Baptist Church in Fayetteville, threw the church’s support behind a local nonprofit organization that helps people in need. A couple of times a year, McDonough Road Baptist Church helps stock its pantry, encourages members to volunteer and occasionally donates money .
Others, such as Zion Baptist, found outside help. Taylor checked each one out. Some didn’t pass her sniff test. Others appeared to be able to provide quality food at a reduced price. She eventually settled on OneHarvest Food Ministries, a for-profit, faith-based organization in Loganville that sells pre-packaged food boxes.
OneHarvest Food Ministries’ CEO is David “Tony” Prather, a former Angel Food board member. Prather’s family started OneHarvest in 2010, at first operating only in Georgia and Florida. Today, the organization distributes food once a month to about 6,000 families in 14 states through a network of churches and nonprofits and through online sales.
Prices per box, which includes meats, frozen fruits and vegetables, range from $20 to $46.
Rice, OneHarvest’s administrative executive, estimates that in places such as metro Atlanta, families can save between 35 percent and 45 percent off grocery store prices.
“Basically, what we’re doing is cutting out the overhead from the grocery store,” Rice said. She said OneHarvest buys food directly from the manufacturer and passes those savings on to customers.
There are no income requirements. The demand is there because of continuing financial pressures that people are feeling.
Another player is Braselton-based Supreme Outreach, the nonprofit arm of Supreme Sales and Marketing, a company that buys food from the source then sells it to food brokers.
Leigh Carroll, the program director for Supreme Outreach, said the company started thinking about ways it could help people left in a bind by Angel Food’s closure.
“People were devastated about that program being gone,” she said. “We felt that since we buy food, box and ship, we could help fill that void.” Supreme Outreach, like Angel Food and OneHarvest, works through a network of churches. In two years, its network has grown from four churches to more than 50 in Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina. Most are former partners of Angel Food.
When they started the nonprofit program, “we started just getting names from the news articles and calling,” Carroll said. “One call would lead to another phone call. We asked that if we could continue this program, would they continue with us.”
Supreme Outreach sells in excess of 1,500 boxes a month. People can order through host sites or directly through Supreme. The boxes cost less than $40, and there are special holiday boxes. Prices are 30 percent to 50 percent below retail. The organization also accepts electronic benefit transfer cards, commonly referred to as EBTs, that serve as a replacement for food stamps.
“It’s a struggle, but it’s definitely worth it,” Carroll said. “There no reason for children to go hungry because their parents can’t put food on the table.”
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