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Do you know the difference between a food bank and a food pantry, or better yet the different goals that they serve for the public? What about how food banks originated? Food bank history can be traced back to a later area of the 1960s when a retired businessman by the name of John van Hengel established the first food bank in Phoenix, Arizona. During the year 1967, John began to notice grocery stores were throwing away food that was still demeaned as edible. He began to collect the food and would store it in a warehouse so that he could distribute it to soup kitchens and food pantries. About nine years later, in the year 1976, a federal grant along with the Tax Reform Act of 1976 aided in the spread of food banks across America since it made it more financially beneficial for companies to donate food. Food banks then spread to Canada and Europe during the year 1983 and as time went on with crises arising, food banks became a resource to many as food prices began to rise. Now, today, food banks have spread all over the world and have partnered with food pantries and kitchens to provide food to those who need it. 

What is a food bank and what is the difference between a food bank and a food pantry? A food bank is a non-profit that will safely store millions of pounds of food that will be delivered to local food programs, such as a food pantry. All food banks will vary in size, however, regardless of that, the food that is stored at a food bank is donated by locals of the area such as neighbors, retailers, restaurants, etc. A food pantry is a distribution system that receives food from food banks. This is where the food will be served to individuals who are offended and supplied weekly. Sometimes food pantries are located in areas like schools so that they are easiest to access by children and families. This also brings up the conversation of the more beneficial way to support food banks since most assume that it would be to donate food or volunteer, but donating funds is the most effective way to show support to food banks. This is because when donating food, there is an abundance of certain types of food, but when donating funds, it gives food banks flexibility to purchase a variety of different assortments of food that can include those that are perishable and non-perishable so that it can help those in need maintain a balanced diet and families will be able to get more than just pantry staple items.