The First Food Bank in Arizona: A Legacy That Changed Hunger Relief Forever
Arizona’s approach to feeding families in need shifted permanently in 1967, when the nation’s very first food bank opened in Phoenix. Prior to that moment, there was no organized system in America for gathering surplus food and redistributing it to people facing hunger. The idea was revolutionary, and it would eventually spread across the country and around the world.
The concept was created by John van Hengel, a volunteer at St. Mary’s Basilica. While serving in Phoenix, he noticed how grocery stores, farms, and food producers threw away perfectly good food because of appearance, oversupply, or looming sell-by dates. He saw that this surplus could be collected, stored, and shared, just like money can be deposited in a bank and withdrawn later. After a successful business career, a divorce, and a serious injury that sparked a personal reevaluation of his life’s purpose, van Hengel moved to Phoenix in 1961 and began feeding the hungry. His idea soon became St. Mary’s Food Bank, the first food bank in both Arizona and the United States. Van Hengel lived simply, took no salary, rejected government funding to avoid bureaucracy, and focused entirely on serving people. His model worked and spread quickly.
St. Mary’s started modestly, collecting unwanted food from stores and manufacturers and redistributing it locally. By the 1970s, other food banks began forming across the country using van Hengel’s blueprint, ultimately leading to a coordinated national network. Today, Feeding America, the largest hunger relief network in the U.S., traces its origin directly back to St. Mary’s in Phoenix.
In the years since, St. Mary’s has grown into a statewide force for good. It now provides children’s meal programs, senior assistance, culinary job training, emergency food boxes, disaster relief, and partnerships with schools, hospitals, shelters, and nonprofits. Millions of pounds of food are distributed across Arizona each year because of a system born from one man’s simple idea.
The founding of the first food bank in Arizona forever changed the way hunger is addressed. It established a new way of thinking, that surplus food, instead of becoming waste, can become hope. Today, St. Mary’s legacy lives on, not only nourishing families throughout Arizona, but also serving as the blueprint for modern food banking worldwide. Arizona was the birthplace of an idea that transformed hunger relief, proving that one compassionate innovation can create lasting global impact.
Works Cited
“About St. Mary’s Food Bank.” St. Mary’s Food Bank, St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance, https://www.firstfoodbank.org/about-smfba/. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
Feeding America. “Our History.” Feeding America, https://www.feedingamerica.org/about-us/our-history. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance. “History.” St. Mary’s Food Bank, https://www.firstfoodbank.org/history/. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
Towne, Douglas. “Robin Hood of Food.” PHOENIX magazine, 26 Mar. 2018, https://www.phoenixmag.com/2018/03/26/robin-hood-of-food/
