Deposits of Grace and Withdrawals of Hope
On Monday, April 20, 10 a.m., please join David Birch, a longtime depositor and volunteer at St. Mary’s Food Bank, for an engaging discussion about the history, mission, and achievements of the world’s first food bank.
In 1967, John van Hengel was volunteering at a local soup kitchen, serving dinner to those in need when a young mother told him that she depended on soup kitchens and food from grocery store dumpsters to feed her children. Van Hengel’s heart was broken. His conversation with the young woman ignited a desire to help hungry families like hers, so he came up with the idea of a “Food Bank,” where individuals and companies with excess food could “deposit” it, and those in need could “withdraw” it.
His local parish, St. Mary’s Basilica in downtown Phoenix, gave him $3,000 and an abandoned building where he was able to turn his dream into reality. In gratitude, he named it St. Mary’s Food Bank.
Every day of every year food banks world-wide distribute millions of pounds of food to families who would otherwise go hungry. But they also provide hope, happiness and well-being for those who face the kind of despair that only the kindness of others can vanquish.
And it all started at St. Mary's Food Bank.
Tickets go on sale at 9 a.m. in the Lobby of the Renaissance Theater and are $5 at the door. No registration is required. To avoid disruptions to the audience and speaker, please plan to be in your seat before 10 a.m.