National Food Bank Day

With tens of millions of Americans living in food-insecure households and many more all over the globe, food banks have become a critical part of making sure families and individuals have access to the food resources they need every day.

National Food Bank Day is here to celebrate this service and act as a reminder for communities to show support for food banks and food pantries, on this day and throughout the year!

History of National Food Bank Day

The background of National Food Bank Day can be traced back to 1967 when the world’s first food bank, St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance, was established through the efforts of John van Hengel.

Dissatisfied with the limited efficiency of soup kitchens, while recognizing the amount of consumable food that was thrown into dumpsters behind grocery stores, van Hengel came up with the idea of reducing the food.

This concept worked to reduce two problems: food waste and hunger.

Since that time, the idea for food banks has grown far and wide, with the first European food bank being founded in 1984 and then moving into South America, Asia, and Africa in the 1990s and early 2000s.

By 2007, the Global FoodBanking Network was formed, with members across all six habitable continents and more than 50 countries.

National Food Bank Day was founded in 2017 by St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance, in celebration of the organization’s 50th anniversary.

The event takes place in early September, strategically timed to raise awareness and boost the stores of food banks before the winter months when food scarcity is often higher.

How to Celebrate National Food Bank Day

Get started celebrating National Food Bank Day by promoting the event with some of these activities:

Support a Food Bank

Whether local or part of a national network, there are more than 350 different food banks located in the United States that act as resources for the thousands of food pantries in cities all across the country.

National Food Bank Day is a great time to get creative about ways to show support to these essential organizations, whether through volunteering, making a financial donation, raising funds through a business or community event, or other ways.

Learn and Share Statistics About Food Banks

An important way to celebrate National Food Bank Day is to get informed about some of the details of what food banks do and how necessary they are to so many individuals and families across the nation and the globe.

Learn about and consider sharing some of these facts about food banks to raise awareness in honor of this important event:

• Each year, more than 50 million people in need receive help from food banks across the United States
• Out of those people, 12 million children and 7 million seniors rely on food pantries and meal programs to survive
• The USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service provides food banks with almost 2 billion pounds of food each year
• Instead of distributing food to individuals, food banks pass them out through various charities, including local food pantries