America's Second Harvest
Encyclopedia
Feeding America is a United States
-based non-profit organization
. It consists of a nationwide network of more than 200 food bank
s and food rescue
organizations that serve virtually every county in the United States as well as Puerto Rico
. It is the nation's leading hunger-relief charity, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The organization supports approximately 50,000 local charitable agencies operating more than 90,000 programs including pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, after-school programs, and Kids Cafes. The current president and CEO is Vicki B. Escarra. Feeding America was known as America's Second Harvest until August 31, 2008. (For Second Harvest Toronto, see Second Harvest
).
, a retired businessman in Phoenix, Arizona
began volunteering at a local soup kitchen
, and began soliciting food donations for the kitchen. He ended up with far more food than the kitchen could use in its operations. Around this time, he spoke with one of the clients, who told him that she regularly fed her family with discarded items from the grocery store's garbage bins. She told him that the food quality was fine, but that there should be a place where unwanted food could be stored and later accessed by people who needed it, similar to how banks store money.
Van Hengel began to actively solicit this unwanted food from grocery stores, local gardens, and nearby produce farms. His effort led to the creation of St. Mary's Food Bank in Phoenix
, the nation's first food bank.
In 1975, St. Mary's was given a federal grant to assist in developing food banks across the nation. This effort was formally incorporated into a separate non-profit organization in 1976.
In 2001, America's Second Harvest merged with Foodchain, at that time the nation's largest food-rescue organization.
In May 2007, it was featured on American Idol
, named as a charity in the Idol Gives Back charity program.
In September 2008, the organization name was changed to Feeding America. The new name conveys the mission—providing food to Americans living with hunger—and will be supported through expansive public outreach campaigns that will raise awareness of domestic hunger and Feeding America's work.
In August 2009, Columbia Records announced that all U.S. royalties from Bob Dylan
's album Christmas in the Heart would be donated to Feeding America, in perpetuity.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-based non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
. It consists of a nationwide network of more than 200 food bank
Food bank
A food bank or foodbank is a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes mostly donated food to a wide variety of agencies that in turn feed the hungry. The largest sources of food are for-profit growers, manufacturers, distributors and retailers who in the normal course of business have...
s and food rescue
Food rescue
Food rescue, also called food recovery, is the practice of safely retrieving edible food that would otherwise go to waste, and distributing it to those in need.The recovered food is edible, but often not saleable...
organizations that serve virtually every county in the United States as well as Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. It is the nation's leading hunger-relief charity, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The organization supports approximately 50,000 local charitable agencies operating more than 90,000 programs including pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, after-school programs, and Kids Cafes. The current president and CEO is Vicki B. Escarra. Feeding America was known as America's Second Harvest until August 31, 2008. (For Second Harvest Toronto, see Second Harvest
Second Harvest
Second Harvest Toronto is a food rescue and redistribution charitable organization that strives to decrease hunger in the city of Toronto. The organization is based on the principle that fresh and prepared food should not be going to waste while in the same city people are hungry...
).
History
In the late 1960s, John van HengelJohn van Hengel
John van Hengel was an American activist credited with establishing the first food bank in 1967. Hengel was born in Waupun, Wisconsin but died on October 5, 2005, at hospice in Phoenix, Arizona. He was 83 years old.-External links:*...
, a retired businessman in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
began volunteering at a local soup kitchen
Soup kitchen
A soup kitchen, a bread line, or a meal center is a place where food is offered to the hungry for free or at a reasonably low price. Frequently located in lower-income neighborhoods, they are often staffed by volunteer organizations, such as church groups or community groups...
, and began soliciting food donations for the kitchen. He ended up with far more food than the kitchen could use in its operations. Around this time, he spoke with one of the clients, who told him that she regularly fed her family with discarded items from the grocery store's garbage bins. She told him that the food quality was fine, but that there should be a place where unwanted food could be stored and later accessed by people who needed it, similar to how banks store money.
Van Hengel began to actively solicit this unwanted food from grocery stores, local gardens, and nearby produce farms. His effort led to the creation of St. Mary's Food Bank in Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, the nation's first food bank.
In 1975, St. Mary's was given a federal grant to assist in developing food banks across the nation. This effort was formally incorporated into a separate non-profit organization in 1976.
In 2001, America's Second Harvest merged with Foodchain, at that time the nation's largest food-rescue organization.
In May 2007, it was featured on American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
, named as a charity in the Idol Gives Back charity program.
In September 2008, the organization name was changed to Feeding America. The new name conveys the mission—providing food to Americans living with hunger—and will be supported through expansive public outreach campaigns that will raise awareness of domestic hunger and Feeding America's work.
In August 2009, Columbia Records announced that all U.S. royalties from Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
's album Christmas in the Heart would be donated to Feeding America, in perpetuity.
Network programs
Feeding America works to educate the general public and keep them informed about hunger in America. The national office produces educational and research papers that spotlight aspects of hunger and provides information on hunger, poverty and the programs that serve vulnerable Americans. Feeding America's public policy staff works with legislators, conducting research, testifying at hearings and advocating for changes in public attitudes and laws that support Feeding America's network and those the organization serves.Notable food banks in the network
- Arkansas Foodbank NetworkArkansas Foodbank NetworkThe Arkansas Foodbank is a non-profit food bank located in Little Rock, Arkansas. The Arkansas Foodbank was established in 1984 to address the issue of hunger in Arkansas, by securing surplus unmarketable but wholesome food and grocery products for distribution to area relief agencies. The name...
in Little Rock, ArkansasLittle Rock, ArkansasLittle Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census... - Capital Area Food BankCapital Area Food BankThe Capital Area Food Bank is the largest non-profit food bank in the Washington, D.C. area and a member of America's Second Harvest. In addition to serving the area with food, it also provides nutritional education to the local community. As a result, Washingtonian magazine named it one of the...
in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution.... - Food Bank For New York CityFood Bank For New York CityFood Bank For New York City is a non-profit social services organization. Its aim is to organize food, information and support for needy citizens of New York City.-History:The Food Bank For New York City was founded in 1983...
in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and... - Food Bank of DelawareFood Bank of DelawareThe Food Bank of Delaware, a member of Feeding America , is a Delaware-based, statewide nonprofit agency whose mission is a community free of hunger.-Overview:...
in DelawareDelawareDelaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania... - Good Shepherd Food BankGood Shepherd Food BankGood Shepherd Food Bank is the largest hunger relief organization in Maine, providing surplus and purchased food to more than 600 nonprofit organizations throughough the state. During fiscal year 09/10, the Food Bank distributed 12 million pounds of food to its partner agencies.The Food Bank's...
in MaineMaineMaine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost... - Greater Boston Food Bank in Boston, Massachusetts
- Greater Chicago Food DepositoryGreater Chicago Food DepositoryThe Greater Chicago Food Depository is a nonprofit food distribution and training center providing food for hungry people while striving to end hunger in Chicago and throughout Cook County, Illinois. The Food Depository distributes donated and purchased food through a network of 600 food pantries,...
in Chicago, Illinois - Houston Food BankHouston Food BankHouston Food Bank is a private non-profit organization founded in 1982 in Houston, Texas that provides food and other products to more than 400 hunger relief agencies in southeast Texas. The Houston Food Bank’s goal is to distribute more than 40 million pounds of product annually to help feed...
in Houston, TexasHouston, TexasHouston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ... - North Texas Food BankNorth Texas Food BankThe North Texas Food Bank is a social benefit organization located in Dallas Texas. The organization distributes donated, purchased and prepared foods through a network of nearly 1,000 feeding programs in 13 North Texas counties...
in Dallas, TexasDallas, TexasDallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States... - Redwood Empire Food BankRedwood Empire Food BankRedwood Empire Food Bank is a food bank on the North Coast of California which belongs to the Feeding America network. Its mission is to end hunger in its community....
in northern CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... - Tarrant Area Food BankTarrant Area Food BankTarrant Area Food Bank is a private 501 non-profit food bank located in Fort Worth, Texas.-About:Tarrant Area Food Bank was established in 1982 to address the issue of hunger in the North Texas region, by securing surplus unmarketable but wholesome food and grocery products for distribution to...
in Fort Worth, TexasFort Worth, TexasFort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...