National Food Bank Week

National Food Bank Week highlights food banks and the volunteers and donors who help provide food to people facing hunger. Food banks collect donated food and distribute it through pantries, soup kitchens, and other organizations that serve people in need. Feeding America describes food banks as distribution centers for food donations.

President Ronald Reagan proclaimed National Food Bank Week for November 8–14, 1987. Although that was a one-time declaration, food banks observed the second full week of November with food and awareness drives from 1987 through 1991. In 1992, Second Harvest Food Bank in Santa Clara and San Mateo, California, launched National Food Bank Week in conjunction with World Food Day on October 16. The observance has since been associated with the week of World Food Day.

The week also offers an opportunity to learn about the food-banking movement. Food banking in the United States began in 1967, when John van Hengel established St. Mary’s Food Bank in Phoenix after developing a way to collect surplus food and make it available to people who needed it. St. Mary’s went on to become the first food bank and helped inspire a wider network of hunger-relief organizations. St. Mary’s Food Bank recounts this early history.

How to Observe National Food Bank Week

Celebrate by donating food or money to a food bank, volunteering to sort or distribute donations, or organizing a food drive with your workplace, school, or community group. You can also learn more about hunger and food banks, then share reliable information to encourage others to get involved.

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