Grace Thompson
St. Mary's Food Bank is a non-profit, nonsectarian organization located in Phoenix, Arizona, that provides nutritious food to families, children, and seniors struggling to feed themselves. It was founded in 1967 by John van Hengel, who was inspired to start a food bank after meeting a young mother who depended on soup kitchens and discarded food from grocery stores to feed her children. St. Mary's Basilica of Phoenix loaned van Hengel $3,000 and provided him with an abandoned bakery to start the food bank, which was named after the basilica. Today, St. Mary's is recognized as the world's first food bank and has expanded its operations across Arizona, providing millions of meals to those in need each year. While St. Mary's Food Bank is not specifically Catholic, there are other food pantries and banks associated with Catholic churches, such as the Catholic Food Pantry at St. Mary Church in Defiance, Ohio, and the Marysville Community Food Bank, which began at St. Mary's Catholic Church in 1974.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Location | Phoenix, Arizona |
| Year founded | 1967 |
| Founder | John van Hengel |
| Type of organization | Nonprofit, nonsectarian |
| Type of food bank | Warehouse model |
| Services | Food distribution, after-school programs for children, career training for adults |
| Number of partner agencies | Over 600 |
| Number of counties in Arizona served | 9 out of 15 |
| Number of meals distributed daily | 300,000 |
| Catholic affiliation | No |
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What You'll Learn
- St. Mary's Food Bank is a non-sectarian, non-profit organization
- It was founded in 1967 by John van Hengel in Phoenix, Arizona
- It is named after St. Mary's Basilica, which loaned van Hengel $3000 to start the food bank
- It is the world's first food bank and one of the largest in the world today
- It distributes millions of pounds of food to the hungry in Arizona each year
St. Mary's Food Bank is a non-sectarian, non-profit organization
St. Mary's Basilica in downtown Phoenix provided van Hengel with $3,000 and an abandoned building to turn his vision into reality. In gratitude, he named it "St. Mary's Food Bank." The food bank is named after the basilica in honor of their contribution. St. Mary's Food Bank is located in Phoenix, Arizona, and is the world's first food bank.
St. Mary's Food Bank provides nutritious food to families, children, and seniors struggling to feed themselves and their families. They distribute food to millions of people in Arizona annually. The organization operates using the traditional "warehouse" model of food banking, supplying partner agencies with donated food. St. Mary's also runs its own food pantry, allowing people to get food directly from their warehouses. They frequently offer "mobile" food pantries—semi-trucks filled with food products in various locations across Arizona.
St. Mary's Food Bank is a non-sectarian organization, meaning it is not affiliated with or limited to any particular religious group. It is open to all people in need, regardless of their religious beliefs or background. The food bank has become one of the largest in the world and is recognized as a Four-Star charity by Charity Navigator and one of America's Top 100 Charities by Forbes. It has expanded its operations to nine of Arizona's fifteen counties and has over 900 partner agencies, including homeless shelters, food pantries, dining halls, and more.
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It was founded in 1967 by John van Hengel in Phoenix, Arizona
St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance was founded in 1967 by John van Hengel in Phoenix, Arizona. It was the first modern organisation to operate using the food bank model, which has since spread throughout the US and the world.
Before establishing St. Mary's, van Hengel volunteered at the St. Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen in Phoenix. He spent much of his time collecting food to supply the soup kitchen and donating the surplus to the homeless. He was inspired to create a food bank after meeting a young mother who fed her children with food thrown out by grocery stores. She expressed her desire for a place where unwanted food could be collected and given to those in need.
St. Mary's Basilica of Phoenix loaned van Hengel $3,000 and provided him with an abandoned bakery to operate out of. The food bank was named after the basilica in honour of their contribution. In its first year, St. Mary's distributed over 250,000 pounds of food through partnerships with grocery stores, food producers, and social welfare organisations.
Today, St. Mary's is one of the largest food banks in the world and continues to operate in Arizona, distributing millions of pounds of food to the hungry each year. The organisation also offers specialised programs, including after-school programs for children and career training for adults. St. Mary's is a non-profit, nonsectarian organisation and a member of Feeding America, a network of hunger-relief organisations founded by van Hengel.
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It is named after St. Mary's Basilica, which loaned van Hengel $3000 to start the food bank
St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance is a non-profit, nonsectarian organisation located in Phoenix, Arizona. It was founded in 1967 by John van Hengel, who was volunteering at a local soup kitchen. One day, a young mother told him that she depended on soup kitchens and food from grocery store dumpsters to feed her children. This conversation ignited a desire in van Hengel to help hungry families like hers. He came up with the idea of a "food bank", where individuals and companies with excess food could "deposit" it, and those in need could "withdraw" it.
St. Mary's Basilica of Phoenix loaned van Hengel $3000 and provided him with an abandoned bakery to operate out of. In gratitude, he named the food bank after the basilica. St. Mary's developed partnerships with grocery stores, food producers, and social welfare organisations throughout Phoenix. By acting as a clearinghouse for these partner organisations, St. Mary's distributed over 250,000 pounds of food in its first year. That number increased to about a million pounds of food by the end of 1968.
With limited financial resources, St. Mary's relied heavily on volunteers to operate and focused on obtaining food rather than monetary donations. Guided by the motto "the poor we shall always have with us, but why the hungry?", St. Mary's continued to attract more volunteers and partner agencies, allowing the food bank to expand its reach through Phoenix and much of Arizona. Today, St. Mary's collects and distributes meals to more than 600 agencies statewide and is recognised as the world's first food bank.
St. Mary's offers a variety of programs to help those in need, including mobile food pantries, after-school programs for children, and career training for adults. They also provide emergency food boxes delivered to people's doors in Maricopa, Yavapai, and Pinal Counties. St. Mary's has over 900 partner agencies, including homeless shelters, food pantries, and dining halls. They estimate that they will provide over 90 million meals to Arizonans in need, with the goal of reaching 100 million meals by 2021.
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It is the world's first food bank and one of the largest in the world today
St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance, located in Phoenix, Arizona, is the world's first food bank. It was founded in 1967 by John van Hengel, who was volunteering at a local soup kitchen. One day, a young mother told him that she depended on soup kitchens and food from grocery store dumpsters to feed her children. This conversation ignited a desire in van Hengel to help hungry families like hers. He then came up with the idea of a "food bank", where individuals and companies with excess food could "deposit" it, and those in need could "withdraw" it. St. Mary's Basilica of Phoenix loaned van Hengel $3,000 and provided him with an abandoned bakery to operate out of. The food bank was named after the basilica in honour of their contribution.
In its first year, St. Mary's distributed over 250,000 pounds of food, which increased to about a million pounds of food by the end of 1968. Today, St. Mary's is one of the largest food banks in the world. It collects and distributes meals to more than 600 agencies statewide and estimates that it will provide over 90 million meals to Arizonans in need. St. Mary's has over 900 partner agencies, including homeless shelters, food pantries, and dining halls. The food bank also offers specialized programs apart from food banking, such as after-school programs for children and career training for adults.
St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance is a non-profit, nonsectarian organization. It is a member of Feeding America, a network of hunger-relief organizations also founded by van Hengel, which aims to provide food to people across the country. St. Mary's has expanded its operations to nine of Arizona's fifteen counties, distributing millions of pounds of food to the hungry each year.
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It distributes millions of pounds of food to the hungry in Arizona each year
St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance is a non-profit, nonsectarian organisation located in Phoenix, Arizona. It was founded in 1967 by John van Hengel, who was volunteering at a soup kitchen at the time. During his time volunteering, van Hengel met a young mother who relied on soup kitchens and discarded food from grocery stores to feed her children. This encounter inspired him to establish a "food bank" where unwanted food could be collected and distributed to those in need. St. Mary's Basilica of Phoenix loaned van Hengel $3,000 and provided him with an abandoned bakery to operate out of, and the food bank was named after the basilica in honour of their contribution.
In its first year, St. Mary's distributed over 250,000 pounds of food, a number that increased to about a million pounds by the end of 1968. Today, St. Mary's collects and distributes meals to more than 600 agencies statewide and has expanded its operations to nine of Arizona's fifteen counties. The organisation estimates that it will provide over 90 million meals to Arizonans, with the goal of reaching 100 million meals by 2021.
St. Mary's also operates its own food pantry, allowing people to get food directly from their warehouses. They frequently offer "mobile" food pantries—semi-trucks filled with food products—in various locations throughout Arizona. These mobile pantries operate on regular schedules and are also dispatched for special occasions. For example, during the 2018-2019 US federal government shutdown, St. Mary's provided food for local TSA employees working without pay.
In addition to food distribution, St. Mary's offers specialised programs such as after-school programs for children and career training for adults. The organisation is a member of Feeding America, a network of hunger-relief organisations founded by van Hengel to provide food across the country.
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Frequently asked questions
No, St. Mary's Food Bank is a nonsectarian organization.
St. Mary's Food Bank is located in Phoenix, Arizona.
St. Mary's Food Bank was founded in 1967 by John van Hengel.
St. Mary's Food Bank aims to provide nutritious food to families, children, and seniors struggling to feed themselves and their families. They distribute food to millions of people in need throughout Arizona each year.
You can support St. Mary's Food Bank by donating funds or hosting a food drive to collect non-perishable food items. You can also volunteer your time or partner with them to distribute food through your organization.
