The MH Family recently took time out of our busy day to pay it forward and volunteer at St. Mary’s Food Bank. Our mission that day was to prepare food boxes for seniors in need. As explained by a St. Mary’s representative, “It’s heartbreaking that a person has to make a choice to buy food or medicine.” These Emergency Food Boxes provide a needed relief for the elderly struggling with this issue. With our 50 MH volunteers, along with the staff at St. Mary’s, we were pleased to prepare 1080 boxes of food for this valuable program.

About St. Mary’s Food Bank

Founded in 1967, St. Mary’s is the world’s first food bank. The idea came to founder John van Hengel when he was volunteering at St. Vincent DePaul, serving dinner to those in need. When a mother stated that soup kitchens and grocery store dumpsters were the only way she could feed her children, the concept of a food bank was born, wherein individuals and companies with excess money and food could “deposit” it, and those in need could “withdraw” it. Van Hengel approached his local parish, St. Mary’s Basilica, with his vision and was given $3,000 and an abandoned building. Van Hengel’s idea became a reality, and in gratitude, he named his organization “St. Mary’s.” Inspired by his accomplishments, cities nationwide began opening food banks to feed those in need. Soon, other countries were following his lead. Today, St. Mary’s Food Bank is one of the largest food banks in the United States, and proud of the impact it has had on Arizona—and the world.

MH would like to thank St. Mary’s Food Bank for the continued opportunity to serve our community. From MH’s in-office food drives, monetary donations, and our volunteer work, St. Mary’s Food Bank and our community can continue to count on Morris Hall.