Organizational Behavior, 12th Edition

Hungry to Succeed

One in six Americans are at risk of hunger. And Feeding America wants to do something about it. With more than 200 local food banks, the nation's largest network of food banks feeds more than 37 million Americans each year by acquiring and distributing more than 3 billion pounds of food and grocery products annually.¹

The Chicago-based charity procures donations from corporations, the food and grocery industries, individuals, government agencies, and other organizations. They distribute the food, grocery items and funds to member food banks, which distribute food to more than 61,000 agencies including food pantries, soup kitchens, and other emergency feeding centers.¹

Founder Jon van Hengel volunteered at a Phoenix, AZ, soup kitchen in the late 1960s. During his efforts to secure donations, he was inspired by the suggestion that there should be a place where unwanted food could be stored for later use, like money in a bank. His work led to the opening of St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance, the nation's first food bank.

“Not often in your day-to-day job do you get to enjoy what you do and impact so many people.”

–Jerrod Matthews, Feeding America.

In the mid-70s, St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance was given a federal grant to promote the development of food banks in other states, and America's Second Harvest was born in 1979. The charity retained this name until 2008, when ...