John van Hengel | |
---|---|
Born | Waupun, Wisconsin | February 21, 1923
Died | October 5, 2005 Phoenix, Arizona | (aged 82)
Alma mater | Lawrence College |
Known for | Father of Food Banking |
Children | 2 |
Awards | See honors and awards |
John Arnold van Hengel (February 21, 1923 – October 5, 2005) was a grassroots activist and entrepreneur credited as being the "Father of Food Banking".[1] In 1967, van Hengel founded St. Mary's Food Bank, the world's first food bank in Phoenix, Arizona. He would later go on to create Feeding America, helping to spread the food banking concept across the United States, and eventually the rest of the world.[2][3][4][5]