St. Mary’s Food Bank founded National Food Bank Day to recognize the outstanding contributions of food banks around the country and to commemorate the establishment of St. Mary’s Food Bank by its founder John van Hengel in 1967. John van Hengel came up with the idea of grocery rescue and food banking and the idea spread throughout the country making St. Mary’s Food Bank the very first in the world! In 2017, St. Mary’s celebrates its 50th anniversary!
They distribute 250,000 meals on a daily basis through the efforts of dedicated staff, partner agencies, and volunteers. Its mission is to alleviate hunger through the gathering and distribution of food while encouraging self-sufficiency, collaboration, advocacy, and education.