Feeding America rescues over four billion pounds of food annually through a network of 250 food banks. The idea came from a mother feeding her children from grocery store dumpsters.
A Conversation That Changed Everything
John van Hengel was a retired businessman who suffered a paralyzing injury in the mid-1960s. While rehabilitating in Phoenix, Arizona, he began volunteering at a local soup kitchen and discovered his life's calling.
The breakthrough came from an unlikely source. A mother told van Hengel she regularly fed her children with discarded items from grocery store dumpsters. She suggested there should be a place where unwanted food could be deposited and later withdrawn by those in need, like a bank. In 1967, van Hengel founded St. Mary's Food Bank in Phoenix, the world's first food bank.
From One Food Bank to a National Network
As the concept spread to other cities, van Hengel established Second Harvest in 1979 to coordinate the growing national network. The organization was later renamed Feeding America.
Today, the network includes over 250 food banks, 20 statewide food bank associations, and 60,000 partner agencies, pantries, and meal programs. In 2024, 48 million Americans lived in food-insecure households. Van Hengel's insight that rescued food could bridge the gap between waste and hunger remains as urgent as ever.
Learn more on our Feeding America page.
